“Although doubt is not a pleasant condition, certainty is an absurd one.” In the light of this statement, explore the impressions of doubt and/or certainty conveyed in at least two works you have studied.
Having an irking feeling of not knowing something is one of the worst feelings someone can have. The feeling of not knowing claws at one's self until they are forced to find the truth in some way. However, is the end goal of answering that doubting feeling always worth it? If one finds something contrary to what they were hoping for, was it worth the journey?
This quote, which essentially speaks about the idea of knowledge, criticizes the idea that the search for truth should not always been one sought after by individuals. The author of the quote seems to believe that the uncertainty one might feel about a subject, and the unpleasant feeling that comes with it, must be bearable in order to prevent further suffering.
This idea can be shown in the play, Oedipus the King, where Oedipus feels doubtful toward his fate and his prophecy. This "[un]pleasant condition" that he experiences throughout the play can be shown through his dialogue with the shepherd, Creon, Tiresias and other characters. The idea that he might have possibly killed his father and had sex with his mother torture his whole self, especially when having dialogue with these individuals. They use logic and the truth once Oedipus gets pushed to the brink of his "sanity." He threatens to exile Creon, expels Tiresias from his home and threatens to torture the shepherd in his journey to end his doubt. In the end, Oedipus finds out for "certain" that the prophecy came true and he suffers eternally for his actions. This proves the statement that "[a]lthough doubt is not a pleasant condition, certainty is an absurd one."
Similarly, in Ibsen: The Wild Duck, the first act alone can be used to prove the statement that "[a]lthough doubt is not a pleasant condition, certainty is an absurd one." For example, Gregers Werle, son of Hakon Werle who is a wealthy merchant and industrialist, begins by experiencing feelings of doubt as he speaks to his long lost friend, Hjalmar Ekdal. As Ekdal speaks to Gregers about his present life, like his occupation and recent marriage, Gregers doubts that Ekdal himself would be able to accomplish everything in such a short amount of time. This unpleasant feeling that he experiences leads him on a journey for the truth. He eventually finds out the "certain" truth, that his father, Hakon Werle, had arranged Ekdal and Gina together as well as finding him his job as a photographer. This "truth" that Gregers finds out about puts him into a rage. This is how Act One ends.
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