Oedipus

Oedipus creates his own reality by believing that the King Polybos his is father and Queen Merope is his mother. When in reality King Laius and Queen Jocasta are his true parents. Jocasta marries her son Oedipus not knowing he his her son, but eventually figures it out. Changing her reality and POV. Could she have chosen not to believe that Oedipus was her son? Is there really enough evidence? Jocasta repeatedly speaks of how the prophecy of the Oracle wasn't not true about Oedipus, so why would she choose to believe it when they "figure out" that Oedipus was her son? Jocasta allows for this to be her reality. Oedipus ,through the whole work, believes that this prophecy is his fate, but will fight against it. His reality wasn't necessarily changed, but confirmed when he was told of his true origin. He continually holds the same reality to be true, through connecting his fate with fact. Both Jocasta and Oedipus pull elements from their surroundings to form their "truth". They each chose the elements they wished to believe true, piecing together their reality.

B.I.G

What is reality and how is it constructed?

Can there really be one version of reality? Is there answer to this question? Reality is so fragile in the hands of man. It is consistently being shaped and reformed by every individual. What one hears, sees and believes is always changing, in turn changing reality. That is why the questioning of reality draws me in. What one chooses to be their reality, becomes their truth. For example, when my family experienced the "almost death" of my Aunt Nathylee, we all felt and interpreted things very differently. My sister, as soon as she heard the news, backed up and left her college to get to my Aunt as fast as she could. I, on the other hand, wasn't sure what to do. I just quietly walked up to my room in a zombie like state, and wasn't sure what to feel. My reality of this situation differed greatly from sister because of different situations I have been through, that my sister hasn't. We interpreted the same news through different understandings; Creating our own realities of this situation. In Homer's The Odyssey, the suitors after Penelope believed that Odysseus is dead. That is their reality, which they each constructed based on each of their individual interpretations of his absence. Odysseus’s reality is constructed by the gods, Athena and Poseidon in particular; They both direct his bath, creating his Odyssey. By the gods creating and leading his odyssey they are developing his reality. By shaping Odysseus's path the gods place him trough trails that mature, and mold him into true leader. This "molding" forms his new outlook on life and every situation; Creating his reality. A movie that relates to the questioning of reality is Inception. This movie is all about trying to establish what is your reality. In Inception, Cobb, then main character (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) tells when he is in reality and when he is not by spinning a coin. If the coin is spinning he is in a dream and if it falls over he is in reality. (IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE MOVIE DON'T READ THE FOLLOWING) At the end of the film, Cobb rejoins with his kids. He spins the coin, but you never see it drop. This complex ending leaves audiences questioning what really was reality. Inception shows, that whatever people choose to believe is reality, will be their reality.