Oedipus, the King and Allegory of the Cave - Comparative...

In Sophocles play, Oedipus, the King, there are various instances where Oedipus tries to escape his destinyÂâ€"enlightenmentÂâ€"only to discover the truth that he cannot. Similarly, in Platos Allegory of the Cave the prisoner travails to understand and adjust to his newly visited environment. In both works, the men first had to realize their ignorance before they could begin to acquire knowledge and true understanding of the complexities of the human condition. Specifically, in Oedipus, the King, it was Oedipus illusion of himself as a man unequaled in leadership whereas in Allegory of the Cave it was the prisoners initial refutations of enlightenment being shown him until he realizes its intellectual, spiritual, and social significance.†¦show more content†¦There, however, he grows ac-customed to the new sights and sounds and realizes that what he knew to be his reality were only those things that he saw through a mediumÂâ€"a silhouette. In that place, as Plato put it, i t would first be easiest for him to make out the shadows, and then the images of men and things reflected in water, and later on the things themselves. Then, easier to watch the heavenly bodies and the sky itself by night, looking at the light of the moon and stars rather than the Sun and the Suns light in the day-time. Next, after realizing those things, that he had a responsibility to return to his old darkness, but this time to tell of the things he knew and to struggle towards new ends: as Plato said to Glaucon, to watch over and care for the other citizens. Moreover, and more importantly, to lead his inferiors in the knowledge of truth to-wards his position. br brOedipus, in Oedipus, the King, and the prisoner, in Allegory of the Cave, both fight internal battles to arrive at enlightenmentÂâ€"truth. However, their commonality not only lies in this. It is also within their similarity in thinking, particularly in their initial refusal to acknowledge that there is only one truth and that they have allowed themselves to become infected with the thought patterns of their public. And consequently, have voluntarily revoked their right to think and make decisions on their own, until those beings