The Downfall of Oedipus

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Recommended: The themes in King Oedipus Rex

Oedipus Rex by Sophocles is regarded as a very highly studied Greek play. Even though it was written almost 2500 years ago, it is still widely studied by both students and scholars alike. Oedipus Rex has passed the test of time, because people today can still relate to the themes and feelings experienced by Oedipus in the play. One of the main themes is the downfall of Oedipus and what the cause of this downfall is. The main plot of Oedipus was well known to the Ancient Greeks before it was even written by Sophocles. When Oedipus was born, King Laius and Queen Jocasta received a prophecy about their son (Oedipus Rex 49). It was claimed that Oedipus would kill his father and marry his mother. To try to prevent this prophecy they gave their son to shepherd to do away with him. However the shepherd did not have the heart to kill the young child and gave him away to a traveler from a distant land (Oedipus Rex 49). Many years later, Oedipus is grown and is told about the prophecy, but still thinks that the King and Queen of Corinth are his true parents. He vows never to return ...

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  • Who Was Responsible For The Downfall Of Oedipus

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  • Summary of Oedipus The Kings by Sophocles

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  • Destiny of Oedipus the King

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    Sophocles demonstrates in the play Oedipus the King that a human being, not a God, ultimately determines destiny. That is, people get what they deserve. In this play, one poorly-made judgment results in tragic and inescapable density. Oedipus fights and kills Laius without knowing Laius is his father. Then, Oedipus's pitiless murdering causes several subsequent tragedies such as the incestuous marriage of Oedipus gets into the flight with Laius. However, Oedipus's characteristics after Laius's death imply that Oedipus could avoid the fight as well as the murder of his father, but did not. Ultimately, Oedipus gets what he deserves due to his own characteristics that lead him to murder Laius: impatience, delusion, and arrogance.

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