King Oedipus is a greek tragedy written by Socrates in the Fifth Century BC. It is based on the myth of Oedipus, which was well known among the intended audience. The most notable aspect of the play is Oedipus’s reversal of fate. He begins the play as a king who has won the throne through an act of heroism, and is thought of as the best of men due to his superior intellect.
King Oedipus opens with the people asking for him to deal with the pollution that has covered the city. This pollution has caused crops to die, women to give birth to stillborns, and a plague. King Oedipus reassures the citizens with the news that he is aware of the pollution and that he has sent his brother-in-law, Creon, to ask the oracle how to remove it. Just as Oedipus …show more content…
When Oedipus’s wife, Jokasta, enters, this quarrel quickly comes to an end. Oedipus tells his wife about Teiresias’s words, and she reassures him that prophets cannot do what they claim. She tells Oedipus the story of a prophet that told her and Laios that any son they would have together would kill his father. Jokasta goes on to tell Oedipus that the prophecy was false because the child was left to die and Laios was killed by a group of bandits. However, the specifics of Laios’s murder lead Oedipus to reexamine the possibility that he killed Laios. All evidence suggests that Oedipus killed Laios except the witness’s claim that several men did the deed. Oedipus decides to send for this witness in order to question him about the day Laios was murdered. At this point, Oedipus reveals the reason behind his questioning to Jokasta. He tells of how his father is the King of Corinth, and one day a stranger rudely questioned his parentage. Although the stranger was punished, these remarks led Oedipus to the oracle. The oracle told him this: “I must have intercourse with my own mother, show/ to human eyes a race unbearable to see,/ and kill the father of my birth.” (792-794) The oracle’s words caused Oedipus to leave his home of Corinth, so he could avoid being forced to kill his father and engage in coitus with his mother. It …show more content…
They lament about what Oedipus has done to his eyes and his motivation of being too ashamed to look upon anyone ever again and death not being punishment enough. Oedipus then voices his regret of every event in his life that led him to that moment. As Oedipus once again relays his desire to leave and die in the place he was meant to die as an infant, Creon appears with the intent to take Oedipus into the palace to hide his misery. Oedipus instead asks that he be banished from the land, but Creon says he will wait for the gods to tell him what to do next. Oedipus asks that Creon handle Jokasta’s funeral arrangements and take care of Oedipus’s daughters. Oedipus then says goodbye to his daughters and goes into the palace, awaiting judgement from the gods. The play ends with the wise men of Thebes lamenting Oedipus’s reversal of fortune, and concluding that people are unable to judge the quality of a man’s life until he has finished his last
King Oedipus opens with the people asking for him to deal with the pollution that has covered the city. This pollution has caused crops to die, women to give birth to stillborns, and a plague. King Oedipus reassures the citizens with the news that he is aware of the pollution and that he has sent his brother-in-law, Creon, to ask the oracle how to remove it. Just as Oedipus …show more content…
When Oedipus’s wife, Jokasta, enters, this quarrel quickly comes to an end. Oedipus tells his wife about Teiresias’s words, and she reassures him that prophets cannot do what they claim. She tells Oedipus the story of a prophet that told her and Laios that any son they would have together would kill his father. Jokasta goes on to tell Oedipus that the prophecy was false because the child was left to die and Laios was killed by a group of bandits. However, the specifics of Laios’s murder lead Oedipus to reexamine the possibility that he killed Laios. All evidence suggests that Oedipus killed Laios except the witness’s claim that several men did the deed. Oedipus decides to send for this witness in order to question him about the day Laios was murdered. At this point, Oedipus reveals the reason behind his questioning to Jokasta. He tells of how his father is the King of Corinth, and one day a stranger rudely questioned his parentage. Although the stranger was punished, these remarks led Oedipus to the oracle. The oracle told him this: “I must have intercourse with my own mother, show/ to human eyes a race unbearable to see,/ and kill the father of my birth.” (792-794) The oracle’s words caused Oedipus to leave his home of Corinth, so he could avoid being forced to kill his father and engage in coitus with his mother. It …show more content…
They lament about what Oedipus has done to his eyes and his motivation of being too ashamed to look upon anyone ever again and death not being punishment enough. Oedipus then voices his regret of every event in his life that led him to that moment. As Oedipus once again relays his desire to leave and die in the place he was meant to die as an infant, Creon appears with the intent to take Oedipus into the palace to hide his misery. Oedipus instead asks that he be banished from the land, but Creon says he will wait for the gods to tell him what to do next. Oedipus asks that Creon handle Jokasta’s funeral arrangements and take care of Oedipus’s daughters. Oedipus then says goodbye to his daughters and goes into the palace, awaiting judgement from the gods. The play ends with the wise men of Thebes lamenting Oedipus’s reversal of fortune, and concluding that people are unable to judge the quality of a man’s life until he has finished his last