Frank Kermode writes in his book The Genesis of the Secret "We are very reluctant to accept the mystery, that which cannot be reduced to other more intelligible forms. Yet this is what we find here: something irreducible, therefore perpetually to be interpreted; not secrets to be discovered one by one, but Secrecy" (143). secrecy by showing how the truth seeker taints the discovery of any secret with his own assumptions and interpretation. Both Oedipus, the main character of the play, and the audience seek answers to Oedipus' past, but instead of the truth they find a reflection. of one's presumptions. Oedipus shows the natural fallacy of human reasoning when faced with secrecy: projecting one's own conclusions and narrow-mindedness onto the answer. Through the show the audience learns to pursue secrets one by one with the tools of the intellect human leads to the frustration of secrecy in general: there is no truth available to human beings that has not in some part been self-invented. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Oedipus's attempt to uncover the secrets of his past blinds him to the truth and proves that humans do not have the ability to reveal absolute answers. At the beginning of the play Oedipus learns of the murder of King Laius and vows to avenge his death, saying "Upon the murderer I invoke this curse /... may he consume his life / in misery to a miserable fate !" (line 246). The irony of this passage where Oedipus curses himself to a fate he will have to suffer shows that he already has certain expectations regarding the murder mystery. Yet Oedipus' reaction is sensible and natural to the reader and one cannot fault his reasoning at this point in the play. While it is reasonable to assume that human logic is a tool for solving problems, Oedipus' rational thought process actually leads him to stray from the truth. In this sense our human intelligence prevents us from finding answers that are not tainted by our own inferences. While humans generally view each mystery as a separate problem to be solved, there is actually a more general sense of secrecy that will always prevent us from finding the truth in pure form. Although Oedipus thinks he has discovered the truth about his past, he is still frustrated and confused with the gods and the ultimate answers regarding his miserable life. Oedipus continually laments his fate before the gods, saying, "Take away, my friends, the great wretch, / the most accursed, whom even God hates / above all men on earth!" (line 1344). Despite the many answers he finds to satisfy the immediate secrets that surround him, he feels further from enlightenment than before his quest for knowledge. He questions the gods and the purpose of his destiny, but never considers whether he actually committed the crime. His assumptions not only distance him from discovering the truth of his past, but also prevent him from truly understanding his destiny or his life's purpose. Oedipus has such faith in the answers he gathers from a variety of dubious sources that he violently stabs himself. eyes after discovering the story of his sins. One can partly attribute his irrational confidence to the many guesses and presumptions he makes in developing the plot. The same intelligence that earned Oedipus his royal position now causes his downfall and inevitably prevents him from discovering any predetermined truth about his past. Sophocles not only demonstrateshow human intellect and logic blind Oedipus to the truth, but how the same intellect used to interpret literature can prevent the reader from finding answers. Within the story Sophocles subtly develops two plausible explanations for Oedipus' past. Small details in the game discount every witness and piece of evidence, allowing for the possibility that Oedipus was framed. For example, the prophet Tiresias accuses Oedipus of murder only after Oedipus angers him. Furthermore, the only witness to the murder was unclear and could only remember that “the hands that committed the murder / were many” (line 121). The play can be interpreted as a conspiracy against Oedipus or as a tragedy of Oedipus' involuntary sins, but both arguments have weaknesses. The reader is left wondering why Sophocles confuses the plot with these otherwise mundane details. The interpreter will never know Sophocles' original intent despite attempts to retranslate the work or rethink it in a new context because these attempts would only reflect the interpreter's presumptions. Sophocles intentionally allows more than one interpretation of his play to show the audience their natural weaknesses when confronted with a secret. In this sense the reader finds himself in the same position as Oedipus, whose every effort to find answers leaves him with a reflection of himself. Interpretation becomes another form of revealing secrets and is therefore perpetual as there is no original meaning, or secret, to be found. However, casually observing the work, there seems to be no mystery or secrecy for the audience and only the characters within the story are visible. the "outsiders" to the puzzles created by Sophocles. Because Oedipus is a common and well-known story, most readers are familiar with the characters and know the ending or can make obvious guesses. The play has less suspense for the audience and instead contains many examples of tragic irony and double meanings due to their informed point of view. Despite the central theme of secrecy in the play, Sophocles makes the audience feel like "insiders" by giving them the knowledge that Oedipus does not have. This allows for many examples of tragic irony, such as when Oedipus says of the murderer in the play's opening scenes: "For when I drive pollution from the earth / I will not serve the benefit of a distant friend, / but I will act in my own interest." ” (line 137). The seemingly well-informed audience can almost pity Oedipus, who creates a double meaning in this sentence by unintentionally giving up himself. The numerous examples of irony allow the reader to feel like an omniscient insider to the secrets that frustrate Oedipus. But with this comfortable point of view the audience casually accepts Oedipus' guilt by jumping to conclusions and ignoring small clues that point to other possible discoveries. Because Sophocles contradicts himself and offers two different interpretations, the answers to the play's secrets are misleading and the reader must also suffer through the mystery of the play. Although the audience enters the play with seemingly more knowledge than that of Oedipus, it overlooks the details and jumps out at the conclusions force the audience members into the position of ignorance Oedipus The audience does not feel that they agree with Oedipus in his search for answers, but instead is sympathetic towards him because he has already solved the riddle. This is the key distinction between individual secrets and all-encompassing Secrecy: although the audience feels superior in their knowledge of Oedipus' secrets, they are truly as disillusioned as Oedipus and just as far from possessing any real truth. Even if the audience believes that they are an insider with the answers to all the secrets, they involuntarily become an outsider in parallel.