Determining Death

Often determination is known as an admirable trait in people, yet sometimes it could be said that there's definitely such a thing as too much determination. This is very much the case in Sophocles' Oedipus Rex. 

Our dear friend Oedipus starts out this tragedy as a heroic man desiring to save Thebes from the curse that has befallen since Laius' death has never been avenged. And yet, with all of his research in trying to solve the problem, he ends up finding personal problems within his own life that he never knew existed. Such as the fact that he's the one who killed King Laius.

Oh, and there's also the fact that Oedipus married his own mother unknowingly. So there's that.

Throughout Oedipus' journey, he starts digging deeper and deeper through all of this information, he begins

obsessing over it, letting paranoia overtake him. Perhaps if he had never been so determined to be such a good person in the first place, then he never would have found out the horrifying truth of his life, and he never would have dug himself into this huge self depreciating hole. 

It's ironic really the way that he kept trying to be a good person, and wanting to keep those he cared about safe, and yet by doing so he walked right into the original prophesy and curse of his life.

If you're looking for something, you'll always find it, as Oedipus exemplified when he stated,

“Whatever is sought for can be caught, you know, whatever is neglected slips away.”  

So next time you feel the need to be motivated about something, just remember Oedipus and then remember it's okay to underachieve every once in a while.