Oedipus, the main character in Sophocles' play "Oedipus the King," is a very popular man. ... This play is centered on the idea of free will, it was Oedipus' own choices that account him responsible for his downfall; He chose to leave Cornith, to kill his father, and to not accept help from Teresias. ... (Oedipus, Sc I, 160) He is so full of himself that he thinks Teiresias is stupid and has no idea what he is talking about since Oedipus claims himself to be smarter and better than anyone else since he is the King of Thebes. ... Along the way, he manages to arrive at "this countr...

• Word Count: 754
• Approx Pages: 3
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

When you think of Sophocles' Oedipus the King, you tend to think of how the tragedy and prophecy could have easily been avoided, the events that led to the tragedy, and how the characters unwittingly played a role in the unfolding of the prophecy. ... But it was the pity and compassion the shepherd had for Oedipus that played a role in the prophecy coming true. ... Again, the Oracle played a role by informing Oedipus of the prophecy. ... By doing this, he was elected King of Thebes and married the widow of Laius, Jocasta. ... The prophets in Oedipus the King played a role in the outcome ...

• Word Count: 785
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

One of the themes in Sophocles" Oedipus the King is the concept of sight. ... In Thebes, Oedipus solves the riddle of the Sphinx, becomes king, blind to the fact that he has killed the previous one, and marries Jocasta. ... Even though Teiresius, a valid prophet, tells Oedipus that he killed Laius, his father and previous king, his pride and self-righteousness prevent him from seeing the truth that has been laid out for him. Oedipus instead accuses his friend Creon of plotting against him: "You, plotting to kill me, kill the king-I see it all, the marauding thief himself scheming to ste...

• Word Count: 998
• Approx Pages: 4
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

In Sophocles," Oedipus the King, Oedipus introduces himself by saying "I Oedipus, whom all men call the great." (8) Oedipus was a "great" man, but he also was cursed. ... That shepherd then gave Oedipus to the king and queen of Corinth, Polybus and Merope. ... After Oedipus was king for some years, a second blight came upon the city. ... In the beginning of the play Oedipus could literally see but was blind to his real life. By the end of the play he was blind, but was finally able to see the truth....

• Word Count: 1224
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

In the play "Oedipus Rex," by Sophocles (rpt. ... Little did Oedipus know he just killed his biological father, King Laius of Thebes. ... The sphinx let the people of Thebes free and named Oedipus the new King of Thebes. ... Next came along the Shepherd, he was a shepherd from Thebes when everything occurred and King Laius was the towns king. ... In this play Oedipus Rex, Oedipus was destined to kill his father and beget children by his mother. ...

• Word Count: 1080
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

According to the play, the three crossroad was where he killed his father. ... But in the play, it was not stated that Oedipus was with his servants too, he was only with himself. King Laius was with his servants and a cart. ... I am the second speaker and I will prove that Oedipus is guilty in killing King Laius and his company. ... This proves that the play is not denying human freedom. ...

• Word Count: 1032
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

Oedipus is already setting himself up for trouble because the king is actually his father. ... Throughout the play there is a great deal of paradox because Oedipus is so determined to avenge the king's killer that it becomes a huge downfall for him. ... The soothsayer says,"Oedipus is being blind by refusing to believe that he killed the king." ... Oedipus answers "man" to become king. ... The real king would still be married to his wife and Oedipus" life would have gone in a completely different direction. ...

• Word Count: 897
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

Bound by Fate Only a few of the stories and plays that were written hundreds of years ago still remain. ... The theme of Oedipus is fate. ... As his reward, he became king of Thebes and he marred the widowed queen. ... Kreon, the prince of Thebes becomes king and Oedipus leaves the city. ... Throughout the play the governing dynamics that Sophocles uses are based on fate. ...

• Word Count: 629
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

"Oedipus the King" by Sophocles is based on Greek life. The city of Thebes is going through a deadly plague at the start of the play. ... He didn't want to reveal the truth to Oedipus until Oedipus started accusing him of the murder. ... He wanted Oedipus to find out on his own. ... Oedipus killed his father and married his mother....

• Word Count: 317
• Approx Pages: 1
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

In Oedipus the king, a child is born to a royal couple, this king and queen want to know how their child will be in the future. ... They never tell Oedipus that he is not their own. ... In the end, the city is threatened by a plague that the oracle said will cease when the city gets rid of the one who murdered the king, Oedipus announces that the murderer will be punished. ... In the end, Oedipus finds his mother hanged herself, so in the midst of all this Oedipus gouges his eyes out and banished himself from the castle. In both these plays, truth played a major role in the outcome. ...

• Word Count: 606
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

In Oedipus the king, a child is born to a royal couple, this king and queen want to know how their child will be in the future. ... They never tell Oedipus that he is not their own. ... In the end, the city is threatened by a plague that the oracle said will cease when the city gets rid of the one who murdered the king, Oedipus announces that the murderer will be punished. ... In both these plays, truth played a major role in the outcome. ... Truth was a deciding factor in both outcomes of the plays. ...

• Word Count: 587
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

"The Kings to Blame" In all myths, tragedies and plays there is always a tragic hero. ... In "Oedipus Rex", Oedipus was also the character that was looked to as the savior and was asked to find the murderer of King Liaus. ... Claudius kills poisons the king and marries the kings wife to become king. ... In "Hamlet", King Claudius starts the trend by poisoning King Hamlet so that he can become king. ... Madness and lack of control play a big part in both plays. ...

• Word Count: 1038
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

"Oedipus the King" by Sophocles is based on Greek life. The city of Thebes is going through a deadly plague at the start of the play. ... He didn't want to reveal the truth to Oedipus until Oedipus started accusing him of the murder. ... He wanted Oedipus to find out on his own. ... Oedipus killed his father and married his mother....

• Word Count: 317
• Approx Pages: 1
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

Even though I did not enjoy the ending of Sophocles' Oedipus Rex, I did however, find the first part of the play to be interesting. ... Though not as horrible as the life that her son / husband will be living after his violent reaction to the terrifying news of his fulfillment of the prophecy cast upon him by Apollo; Iocaste's death signifies the punishment that Apollo placed upon her for trying to change the fate of her and her husband's life -- trying to kill her own baby boy-Oedipus. ... (p. 68) Or maybe she did it out of anger at the Gods, or at Oedipus for being persistent ...

• Word Count: 500
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

In the play "Oedipus the King" the main character Oedipus suffers a very dramatic and unfortunate life. ... I believe that Oedipus did have free will in this play. ... One example of how Oedipus has free will is when he decided to search for the killer of the king. Being king of Thebes Oedipus felt that it was his job to discover who the murderer of the king was. ... That is why he was cursed in "Oedipus the King". ...

• Word Count: 926
• Approx Pages: 4
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

Oedipus is in denial and chooses to mock and insult the seer. ... When I look upon thee, my king, I tremble", "So much for divination. ... Jocasta would rather ignore fate while Oedipus would rather discover the truth and accept his fate. ... This line really summarized the entire play because I think that we make our own destiny. ... This play to me was a demonstration of people being having unsure but amazing faith in supreme beings, so much so that it interfered with the way that they chose certain paths in life. ...

• Word Count: 709
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

The truth is that Oedipus's and others" actions are what caused Oedipus's "fate" to come true, not "fate" itself. ... Instead, the shepherd gave Oedipus to another shepherd, who in turn gave him to a foreign King and Queen. ... This proves that the King and Queen of Thebes had the control to put an end to the events of the future before they began, but chose not to. ... The man was his real father, the King of Thebes. ... Lastly, Oedipus's pride, ignorance, and disbelief in the gods played a significant part in the fulfillment of Apollo's prophesy. ...

• Word Count: 729
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

In Shakespeare's most famous tragedy, Hamlet, this dominant theme of revenge saturates the play and is the manipulative influence behind the actions that make the play a tragedy. ... The ghost of Hamlet's father, the old King, introduces the first ideas of vengeance into Hamlet's mind. The ghost tells Hamlet that he was wrongfully killed at the hands of his traitorous brother, the present King Claudius. ... First, it is claimed that Hamlet suffered from an Oedipus complex in a slight sense. ... If Hamlet did indeed have the Oedipus complex then it helps explain many of his acti...

• Word Count: 988
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School