Analysis of Oedipus Rex

Oedipus did not have a fair start in life. His father, Laius, heard prophecy that Oedipus would one day kill his father and sleep with his mother. In order to prevent this, Laius gave Oedipus to a shepherd to be killed. Fortunately, through a string of events, Oedipus's life was saved, and he even went on to become the honored king of Thebes. Despite this feat, Oedipus still managed to make several decisions that ultimately fulfilled the original prophecy told to Laius, and inevitably sealed Oedipus?s fate.

In order to escape the prophecy that he would kill his father and sleep with his mother, Oedipus thought it best to leave Corinth. What Oedipus did not know is that the parents he was leaving were not his biological parents. The prophecy stated that Oedipus would commit the crimes upon his natural parents, not his adoptive. Although a valiant effort on Oedipus?s part, leaving the city of Corinth actually enabled the prophecy to become reality. When at a crossroads during his travel away from Corinth, Oedipus happened upon a man and his four servants. After a dispute about who had the right of way, Oedipus killed the man and three out of the four servants. The fourth, a witness that would become an important figure in the future, escaped. Little does Oedipus know that the man he killed was his biological father. Thus, stage one of the prophecy was fulfilled.

After solving the Sphinx riddle, Thebans honor Oedipus by crowning him king of Thebes. He also married the widow queen, Jocasta. Oedipus did not realize it, but the widow he married was his biological mother. In that event, the second stage of the prophecy is fulfilled. The tragic event also occurred due to Oedipus?s decision to leave Corinth. In a sa...

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...to die, and the shepherd, in an act of pity, gave the infant Oedipus to the Corinthians. Oedipus finally realized how the prophecy had been fulfilled. He rushed off to find Jocasta. When he discovered her dead, he blinded himself with pins from her garment. The final decision in seeking a witness led to Oedipus?s demise. He left the city of Thebes, and finally settled in Cithaeron where he eventually died.

It is very true that Oedipus did everything in his power to prevent the prophecy of the oracle from coming true. In his attempts at escaping it, he ended up making several decisions that actually enabled the prophecy to play out. Sadly, there was no way for Oedipus to know of the predicament he was creating for himself. Unfortunately, Oedipus did not realize that his initial decision to leave the city of Corinth would lead to his ultimate downfall.