Rereading Oedipus Rex

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Rereading Oedipus Rex

Published: 09 Apr. 2025, 00:05

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Kim Myung-hwa

The author is a playwright and director.

The Constitutional Court has upheld the impeachment. And suddenly, Sophocles’ “Oedipus Rex” comes to mind. In his youth, Oedipus solved the riddle of the Sphinx and rescued the city of Thebes from ruin. He was hailed as “first among men.” At the time, the throne of Thebes stood vacant, and Oedipus, marrying the widow of the late king, ascended to power. A wandering outsider had, by sheer fortune, seized the stars.
But as time passed, a plague swept through the land, plunging Thebes once again into despair. The oracle proclaimed that the murderer of the former king had defiled the city, and the prophet pointed to Oedipus as the culprit.

″Oedipus and the Sphinx″ by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres.

In Greek tragedy, the protagonist is often a figure of greatness brought low by a fatal flaw. For Oedipus, that flaw was his impetuousness and quick temper. He lashed out at the prophet, dismissing the prophecy as a political conspiracy. Though those around him urged restraint, he pursued the truth with obsessive determination. In the end, he discovered that the old man he had killed in a fit of rage years earlier was none other than the former king of Thebes — his father — and that his queen was, in fact, his mother.
Though mythical in origin, “Oedipus Rex” continues to resonate because of how Sophocles handles its theme — with restraint, clarity and a mature sense of resolution. When the horrifying truth is finally revealed, Oedipus does not flee from it. He accepts full responsibility, gouging out the eyes that had failed to see, condemning himself to exile, and thus lifting the curse from Thebes.

The former president, too, may have achievements to his name and grievances he feels are unjust. But he must also reckon with the grave missteps that plunged the entire nation into chaos. As Thebes learned from its suffering, so too must we confront the failings of our flawed democracy — one that has veered toward majoritarian tyranny and zero-sum politics.
This must no longer be the hour of the “president.” It must now become the hour of the people.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.