Thesis Statement For Oedipus

     Throught Oedipus Rex, Oedipus displays his heroism many times. From the Prologue of the play to the moment in which he leaves Thebes, Oedipus' heroics are extremely apparent; however, at the same time, the decisions which make Oedipus a hero ultimately become the decisions which bring him to shame and exile.

It is a common human flaw to only see things that are pleasing and choose to ignore distasteful situations. Falling into this trap, Oedipus, the King of Thebes in Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex, finds his doom by choosing to turn a blind eye to reality. The king falls from his throne by choosing to live in an illusion and failing to recognize the power of fate.

The sphinx had been terrorizing the city of Thebes for a while now. It was said that if you solved the riddle given by the sphinx you would defect her and the city would be saved. Oedipus solves the riddle right and has become a hero. He marries the queen, becomes king, and starts a family. What he doesn’t know is that his wife is the person who gave birth to him. The queen, “…remembered his living sperm of long ago, who killed Laios, while she lived on to breed with her son more ruined children” (1410-13). The queen had even thought her new husband looked a little like Laios. It took her so long to realize that Oedipus was her son because she thought he had died years ago. The fate that he had tried so hard to run away from has all caught up to

In Sophocles play, Odeipus The King, there are many types of universal themes to humans in society. The main character, Oedipus reveals traits that humans have. No one wishes to kill their father or marry their mother. However metaphorically speaking, we can relate to his emotions and behavior. His actions and how he reacts to certain situations, defines him as a worthy person.

rule of thebes: "What is it that walks on 4 feet and 2 feet and 3 feet

Laius and Jocasta were king and queen of Thebes, a city in Ancient Egypt. After suffering many years of being childless, Laius visited the Oracle of Apollo who prophesized that if he were to have children, the child would kill Laius. When Jocasta finally bore a son, Laius pierced the baby’s ankles and attached them together

“How dare you disrespect the king of Corinth,” the servant shouted at Oedipus. If the servant never pushed Oedipus out of the way for Laius, Oedipus wouldn’t have killed laius leaving the group of servants at fault. Oedipus ran away from home because of what the Oracle had told him. The servant, not knowing who Oedipus is, caused the anger and started the tragedy.

This play is different from a murder mystery because it does not end as soon as you find out who the killer is. Also, there is no twist for who the killer actually is. If the play had ended after the murderer was revealed, there would have been no explanation for what happened to the characters lives. Without doing this it would not have summed up the play and would have left the audience on a cliff hanger.

Oedipus Rex, or Oedipus the King is Sophocles’s first play of “The Theban Cycle.” It tells the story of a king that tries to escape his fate, but by doing so he only brings about his downfall. Oedipus is a classic example of the Aristotelian definition of a tragic hero. Aristotle defines a tragic hero as a basically good and noble person who causes his own downfall due to a flaw in his character.

     From the very beginning of the play, we can already see that Oedipus is a great but flawed man. He proves to us

Sophocles's Oedipus Rex is probably the most famous tragedy ever written. Sophocles's tragedy represents a monumental theatrical and interpretative challenge. Oedipus Rex is the story of a King of Thebes upon whom a hereditary curse is placed and who therefore has to suffer the tragic consequences of fate (tragic flaws or hamartia). In the play, Oedipus is the tragic hero. Even though fate victimizes Oedipus, he is a tragic figure since his own heroic qualities, his loyalty to Thebes, and his fidelity to the truth ruin him.

Hans Rockwell 8/26/17 Question 1 Question 1.) One of the responses people usually have about Oedipus is if he really deserved the fate that he ended up with. It’s not his fault that Jocasta and Laius tried to outsmart fate and dispose of him.

Oedipus the King is a tragic play written in ancient Greece by the great playwright Sophocles. Sophocles tells of Oedipus, a man cursed to destroy his father and marry his mother. The tragedy of Oedipus the King, although fictional, could have taken place as it coincided with the ideas and themes common at the time. “Greece, where unwanted children, like Oedipus, were left to die (but were saved by shepherds); where, not only in story but in grim reality” Fagles 14-15. Leaving unwanted children to die seemed to be almost commonplace in ancient Greece, but few where prophecied to kill their father and marry their mother. “Greece was split up into separate small worlds… these city-states were, as often as not, at war with their neighbors” Fagles

The tale of Oedipus and his prophecy has intrigued not only the citizens of Greece in the ancient times, but also people all over the world for several generations. Most notable about the play was its peculiar structure, causing the audience to think analytically about the outcomes of Oedipus’ actions and how it compares with Aristotle’s beliefs. Another way that the people have examined the drama is by looking at the paradoxes (such as the confrontation of Tiresias and Oedipus), symbols (such as the Sphinx), and morals that has affected their perceptions by the end of the play. Nonetheless, the most important aspect is how relevant the story is and how it has influenced modern ideas like that of Freud and other people of today.

"Oedipus the King" is a tragic play showing a shift from the belief of fate to freedom of choice. Therefore, Oedipus the king is a great example of those who run from fate ends up fulfilling their fate