Oedipus The King Research Paper

After much investigation on the killing of Laius, Oedipus discovers three truths; two of which he swore would never be true. The least bothersome of the three was the discovery about his biological parents. Oedipus lived his whole life believing that Polybus was his father and Merope was his mother; but in fact Laius was his father an Jocasta was his mother. This lie was nothing compared to his sins.

Oedipus did not know that his mother was going to be his wife. He was told from when he was only the prince of Corinth that he will end up sleeping with his mother. During the investigation of King Laius, the blind prophet is providing a detailed crime scene and interviewing the only eyewitness to his murder. In curiosity, Oedipus asks about who his biological parents are so he can finally know the truth and settle the rumors. The Theban Shepherd confirms that his parents are in fact Laius and Jocasta. Oedipus and Jocasta have not seen each other since the day he was born. Many years ago, she gave her three-day-old infant to her servant to be killed because she knew about the prophecy. Behind her back, the servant gives Oedipus to a childless royal couple living their separate lives without knowing each other. Jocasta tried to change their destiny, but their fate was already chosen for them. Regardless of Oedipus knowing that his wife was his mother, he still committed incest. “But now all god-deserted, born in sins, in incest joined with her who gave

Now Oedipus is forced to see the facts, about who he thinks is his father and his mother. For a example, "To the children with whom he lives now he will be Brother and father the very same; to her who bore him, son and husband the very same. Who came to his fathers bed, wet with his father's blood". (240-243) The truth is as clear as a crystal ball. He is forced to realize, "Wisdom changes hands among the wise".

To begin, Oedipus does not know the true identity of his parents. As the play starts, Oedipus believes that his true birthplace is in Corinth to Polybus and Merope while in reality, he was born in Thebes to Laius and Jocasta. If Oedipus had known the truth of his parents, he would have returned to Thebes and could have tried to avoid the prophecy that he would kill his father and marry his mother. Oedipus’ ignorance of his past, he attempted to flee Corinth, leading ultimately to his father's death. Throughout the story, Oedipus tries to find out who took the death of Laius.

Finding out who his true father is seems important for someone who has just been told he will kill his father. Nor is Oedipus particularly intelligent about the way he conducts himself. Even though he did not know that Laius and Jocasta were his parents, he still does kill a man old enough to be his father and marry a woman old enough to be his mother. One would think that a man with as disturbing a prophesy over his head as Oedipus would be very careful about who he married or killed. Blindly he pursues the truth when others warn him not to; although he has already fulfilled the prophesy, he does not know it, and if he left well enough alone, he could continue to live in blissful ignorance. But instead he stubbornly and foolishly rummages through his past until he discovers the awful truth. In this way, Jocasta 's death and his blindness are his own fault.

Jocasta's story doesn't ease Oedipus’ worries. When Oedipus was a child, an old man told him that he was adopted, and that he would ultimately murder his birth father and sleep with his birth mother. Not to mention, Oedipus previously assassinated a man at a crossroads, which very similar to the way Laius died.

- In the backstory for Oedipus the King, the king and queen of Thebes receive a prophecy that their son will kill his father and marry his mother.

As Oedipus and Jocasta discuss the likelihood of Oedipus being this horrid killer they are lost in a sea of ugly truths, but hold on to one glimmer of hope. It has been said that Laius was killed by a group of strangers. Yes, Oedipus has killed a man at a location similar to the description of the place where Laius was killed, however, he traveled alone so that does not fit the bill. At this moment, that is the only hope they are clinging to in order to clear Oedipus’ name. He and Jocasta try their hardest to proceed with everyday life as if everything is fine. Sadly, this ignorance to the truth did not keep the rest from discovering the undeniable evidence of what actually happened the night Laius was killed. The story begins drawing to an end with Jocasta committing suicide because she is so

Oedipus’ biggest flaw is that he is does not fully know the truth which holds him back from understanding his past and accepting himself. In scene two, He learns more about the murder and realizes that he is the one guilty of killing King Laios’. Oedipus says, “Swinging my club in this right hand I knocked him out of his car, and he rolled on the ground. I killed him”(43). Oedipus does know part of the truth: that he killed the King, but still is unaware that King Laios is his real father. Oedipus says, “Polybos of Corinth is my father. My mother is a Dorian: Merope”(42). Not knowing the truth about his parents disables Oedipus’ ability to understand his past and his identity. It will certainly be difficult for him to find out the ugly truth

Once Jocasta realizes that Oedipus is her son, she goes and kills herself. Not long after, Oedipus realizes the grave offences he has committed. Not only did he kill his father, but he also bred with his mother. Ashamed, he asks for banishment from Thebes, and he is left blind by taking pins from Jocasta’s dress and jabbing them into his

The messenger remarks that Oedipus need not worry, because Polybus and his wife, Merope, are not Oedipus’s biological parents. The messenger, a shepherd by profession, knows firsthand that Oedipus came to Corinth as an orphan. One day long ago, he was tending his sheep when another shepherd approached him carrying a baby, its ankles pinned together. The messenger took the baby to the royal family of Corinth, and they raised him as their own. That baby was Oedipus. Oedipus asks who the other shepherd was, and the messenger answers that he was a servant of Laius.

Despite many warnings to let things be, Oedipus persists to know the truth especially since it seems to evade him. He is sure he has absconded the claim of patricide and incest by staying away from his “parents;” the same way Jocasta and Laius thought they had speared themselves that fate as well. Now, they both disregard prophesies as truth. Oedipus has been accused of killing his father but word has been brought to him that his father, Polypus, has died in Corinth and he exclaims:

In the tragedy “Oedipus Rex” by Sophocles, a man finds out about his identity and then suffers a horrible fate. The chorus calls Oedipus for help. Creon arrives and tells the people of Thebes that they must find and punish the former king’s murderer. People are doubting the gods and oracle. A herald from Corinth tells Jocasta that Polybus died and they want Oedipus to be their new king. Oedipus finds out about Polybus’s death and he did not kill him. Oedipus stills fears the prophecy. The herald tells Oedipus that Polybus Meropi aren't his true parents. The herald testifies to Oedipus identity. Jocasta feels horror when she realizes the truth about Oedipus’s identity. A shepherd reluctantly shares past events. Oedipus has a moment of realization.

Oedipus Rex is, at its very core, a story about a young man’s vain attempts to change his fate. Orphaned at a young age because of a prophecy, Oedipus finds himself in a neighbouring kingdom, Corinth, in Greece. In the play, Oedipus learns of the prophecy that says he will kill his father and marry his mother. Upon hearing this, he leaves his foster parents Polybos and Merope, whom he believes are his real parents, in order to defy this fate.

They were so upset by what the drunkard had said that I was reassured. But my certainty did last: the drunkard’s words stayed there, nagging at my mind, until at last I decided to find out the truth once and for all…” (Page 31) If Oedipus was truly reassured that Polybus and Merope were his parents, that nagging would not have happened. He subconsciously knew that they were not his parents and the drunkard just reinforced his deeply buried beliefs. Oedipus goes to a prophet in Delphi and is told the prophecy, and runs away to avoid killing Polybus and Merope because he thinks they are his mother and father. While running, he crosses paths with Laius, his father and king of Thebes and murders him. This action enters his subconscious mind although he does not consciously address it until later.