Justice In Oedipus The King

Out of Sophocles’ trilogy of tragic plays that center around Oedipus, the misfortunate king and outcast of Thebes, perhaps the most interesting and thought-provoking performance is his Oedipus at Colonus. It is the sequel to his Oedipus the King, where great action and drama pounce upon the characters and justice is dealt swiftly with sorrowful results; conversely, Oedipus at Colonus, published posthumously in 401 BCE, deals with the repercussions of the actions of the characters, focusing on the themes of guilt versus innocence and the will of the gods. What is surprising is that Oedipus, previously damned, has now been accepted and protected by the same gods that destroyed his life in Thebes. There is a peculiar justice at work in the play, which may seem

The grey area in which Oedipus finds his mercy and justice for the way he has been treated is difficult to understand, but with careful reading one can see that Oedipus is in the right when it comes to his salvation in Colonus. By analyzing his defense of his innocence, the way his story deviates from the typical sin-and-punishment style, and the miraculous circumstances that surround his death, Oedipus has clearly been vindicated by the gods for his past transgressions. Throughout the play, Oedipus often branches out into long monologues and soliloquies lamenting over his banishment and the way he has been treated poorly by the people he has encountered; though one would expect such reactions from the people, which would have no doubt seen him as vile and incestuous, the reader is taken aback at how vehemently Oedipus defends his initial innocence. When the chorus of old men at Colonus are afraid to give him respite due to his reputation, Oedipus fumes and questions ‘how was I evil in myself?/ I had been wronged, I