Theme Of Conflict In Oedipus The King

“Oedipus the King” is a play about an outstanding king torn by fate and the effect his actions will have on his destiny. Through reading we learn about the catastrophic story of Oedipus, as well as the literary conflicts that shape this play. The unfolding events show the hidden conflicts between human vs. human, human vs. self, and human vs. supernatural, all of which have an impact on the community as a whole. These conflicts will go in depth in order to understand the critical analysis of the fate of King Oedipus.
As the play opens we quickly see the first major conflict that arises, human vs. human. In scene 1 Oedipus discovered that the previous King, Laios had been murdered. A plague has been placed onto the citizens of Thebes, the only way to lift the plague that will dismantle the city is to find the murderer. The irony of this is a man determined to uncover and punish a murderer, which ultimately ends up being himself. The external conflict being Oedipus vs. Teiresias, the king prying for information, against the blind prophet "Teiresias: I do not …show more content…
Oedipus, in his attempts to gather information, change his fate, and eventually change himself, result in nothing but his demise. All three conflicts shape the play into proving how digging into issues can lead to heartache and pain. It can affect those around you, and yourself trying to find things out that cannot be changed sometimes only furthering other issues. The conflicts in this play show how pushing for answers one is unready to see and accept, can and will only create more destruction. It shows that although Oedipus felt he was doing the right things that his fate was already made. His internal conflict proved to be his greatest downfall, which lead him to become exactly what he was fighting to prove he