To be vulnerable is to be susceptible to physical or emotional attack or harm. With that definition, what does it mean to be vulnerable? Brené Brown, a research professor at the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work, gave a TED talk on what terms it meant to be vulnerable. She said that “vulnerability is not weakness.” (Shame, TED.com) When applied to Oedipus, one could ask, if a vulnerability is not weakness, then why did it lead to his downfall? It’s not the just vulnerability that led to his downfall, but him avoiding it. Although Oedipus tries to evade vulnerability, it is what eventually precipitates his fall from grace.
One way that Oedipus avoids vulnerability is when he tries to find the murderer of the Laios, the predecessor…show more content… However, Greek mythology views vulnerability as a tenet, closely associated with a virtue, and is vital to the development and wellbeing of the hero (Wounded Heros, ndpr.nd.edu). Here, the audience can view Oedipus as a man who is without logic. Oedipus said that he killed Laios and his men because of a small altercation on the road. He did not want to be seen as weak, which he perceived as being vulnerable. Vulnerability is essential in order to flourish with other people. Instead he tries to outrun fate, and in many tragedies ultimately lead to the hero’s demise, and for Oedipus, it was no different. Furthermore, the last example by which Oedipus evades vulnerability is when he physically blinds himself. Oedipus discerns that he could not bear to look upon the children he fathered with his own mother, and in response to this sinful deed, he gouged out his own eyes out:
“For…show more content… Oedipus fails to recognize that his attempt to escape his fate only resulted in more misery. Instead, he looks at this deed subjectively and outlines it more as a disgrace to himself and his family. His arrogance and unwillingness accept vulnerability and even shame are still present at the end of the play when it is believed that he learned some form of lesson. Some might say that Oedipus became a better man at the end of the play, but confronting the mistakes one has made is something that Oedipus fails to accomplish and leads to his unfortunate