To Journey
In the play "Oedipus the King", the concept of journeying is both a literal term and a figurative term. First of all, when Oedipus heard the prophecy about himself (that he would kill his father and marry his mother), he was afraid. He was worried that he would accidentally make the prophecy come true. As a result, he decided to flee Corinth and stay away from it for as long as he possibly could. This is the literal journey that he took. In this way, the phrase "to journey" is used to express the idea of running or journeying away from a place that is possibly harmful. Oedipus has literally run from Corinth to Thebes in an effort to save himself and his family. He has journeyed to benefit many people: his father, his mother, and himself. However, by literally journeying away from Corinth, he began a figurative journey away from his destiny. Basically, he was attempting to run away from fate. It is like when you are at the dentist and have to "journey" to your happy place. Oedipus did the same thing by running away from his problems and trying to forget the prophecy and his fate. This is his figurative journey. It is both mental and physical. The concept of a journey is also explored in this play through the use of many different messengers. The messengers in "Oedipus the King" come from faraway places, bringing news of family members, kings, and other cities. They are the ones who do the most journeying. I think this must represent or have something to do with the idea that the messengers are not afraid to roam; not afraid to take risks. They are willing to journey to different situations, unlike Oedipus, who has been running from his destiny and prophecy both literally and figuratively. In short, the concept of journeying is used in many different ways in this play: literally, figuratively, and mentally. It is also used to portray different characters' personality traits.
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