Riddle In Oedipus Rex

At first Oedipus is seen as a man of mighty feats; however, in the end, the remembrance of his great acts are overcome by the infamy of how he killed his father and married his mother. At the beginning of Socrates’ play, the priest cries out on the subject of the mighty acts the king, Oedipus’ has done; surely the man who was powerful enough to destroy the dreaded sphinx could also save them from the plague ravaging their town. Ironically the riddle that the sphinx gave to Oedipus could point to his mental journey, as well as the psychical journey mankind goes through. “Thebes was saved by the hero Oedipus who, confronted by the Sphinx, said the answer to her riddle was “Man,” because as a baby a man crawls upon all fours, as an adult he walks …show more content…
In an effort to find out if the people who have claimed to his parent are indeed so Oedipus consults the Delphic oracle. Instead of answering Oedipus’ question about his linage, the Delphic oracle give a morbid prophesy about his future. However, even when he learned of what fate had in mind, Oedipus still had an answer. “When Oedipus was grown, he learned from the Delphic oracle that he would kill his father and marry his mother. He fled Corinth to escape this fate, believing his foster parents to be his real parents”( Oedipus) He arrives in Thebes, only to find that there is a Sphinx devouring people who could not answer her riddle. Oedipus is quick to solve her puzzle and thus receive the kingdom at his feet. When something glories is promised he has no trouble connecting the dots. Yet, despite all of the signs pointing impending doom, Oedipus refuses to make sense of them. “Oedipus: Riddles—all you can say are riddles, murk and darkness.
Tiresias: Ah, but aren’t you the best man alive at solving riddles?”(Meyer) He blames Tiresias for not speaking plainly, but Tiresias is quick to call Oedipus and remind him that he is the one with all the