In the mythological world of Oedipus the King, the truth is rarely pure and never simple. The theme of truth is accelerated in the theme of willingness to ignore the truth throughout the play, through the characters trying to reveal the truth about Laius' murder. At the beginning of the drama of King Oedipus, the city of Thebes has an unsolved murder case without any evidence. Oedipus ventures out in search of the truth after discovering the murder of the previous king, Laius. Believing he can control every situation he encounters, Oedipus points out, “I heard this too, but no one saw the murderer” (319). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Oedipus doubts the identity of the murderer. As a result, Sophocles successfully validates humans' lack of power to control any situation and inability to hide the truth. Later in the play, when Oedipus and Jocasta begin to get closer to the truth about Laius' murder, in Oedipus the King, Oedipus fixates on one detail in the hope of exoneration. Jocasta says that she was told that Laius was killed by "strangers", while Oedipus knows that he acted alone when he killed a man under similar circumstances. This is an extraordinary moment because it calls into question the entire process of seeking the truth that Oedipus believes he is undertaking. Both Oedipus and Jocasta behave as if the servant's story, once told, is irrefutable history. Neither can face the possibility of what it would mean if the servant were wrong. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay This is perhaps why Jocasta feels she can tell Oedipus about the prophecy that his son would kill his father, and Oedipus can tell her about the similar prophecy given to him by an oracle (867–875), and neither of them feels obliged to underline the coincidence; or why Oedipus can listen to the story of Jocasta binding her son's ankles (780–781) and not think about his own swollen feet. While the information contained in these speeches is largely intended to make the audience painfully aware of the tragic irony, they also highlight how desperately Oedipus and Jocasta do not want to tell the obvious truth: they look at the circumstances and details of everyday life and pretend not to see them.