In fact, the Thebans were so grateful to Oedipus that they decided to make him the king of Thebes and married him to their widowed queen Jocasta, who was Oedipus' long lost mother. ... Upon his arrival, Tiresias was hesitant to tell Oedipus the truth about the murder of Laios because he knew that Oedipus would not take the information well. Tiresias warned Oedipus that the truth would only cause more problems than it would solve, but Oedipus kept nudging him to talk. ... Oedipus was shocked by what Jocasta had said and asked her to send for the servant who served Laios was, as he may have...

• Word Count: 1488
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

As in any great tragedy, the story of Oedipus is rife with heartbreaking irony. In "Oedipus the King," Sophocles provides the reader with an interesting contrast between the truth as defined by the gods and their oracles and the truth as defined by Oedipus himself. ... Oedipus is a complex individual whose decisions illuminate his world view, providing the reader with insight into why Oedipus behaves the way he does. ... The attempt to protect Oedipus from himself having failed, Tiresias finally gives in to the threats on his life and reveals the identity of the king's murderer to Oedipu...

• Word Count: 1443
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Soon after Oedipus' "greeting of Teiresias with such gallant frivolity, a reader of the work questions Oedipus' true motives concerning Teiresias. ... Effectively, Oedipus' "house " is the Kingdom in which he reigns. ... Oedipus' arrogance challenges the authority of "things hidden and has no use of the ˜truth' from any source other than his own; Oedipus believes he can summon 'truth' because he is the king. ... Oedipus long before has cloaked "truth " under the veil of obstinacy for the gods and for anything that attempts to usurp Oedipus' own ...

• Word Count: 653
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

The real power of Oedipus Rex lies not in the fact that it illustrates the Oedipus complex-that Oedipus was oedipal-but that it depicts a troubling and seemingly universal dimension of human behavior; the way we unwittingly create the fate we fear and dislike. ... This complex is roundly exhibited in the play 'Oedipus Rex', where Oedipus does end up murdering his birth father and marrying his birth mother, Jocasta. ... Creon returns to Thebes and Oedipus accuses him of staging the prophecy that says Oedipus will kill his father and marry his mother in order to over throw the throne....

• Word Count: 1933
• Approx Pages: 8
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Although partly true, it is not entirely accurate in Sophocles' Oedipus the King. In the story, Oedipus is shown, on multiple occasions, as someone who, through his choices, seals his own fate. ... However, because Polybus and Merope are not Oedipus' biological parents, Oedipus has not, in fact, avoided fate, instead, he is now wandering down the exact path that will end in him fulfilling the prophecy. ... (38), to which Oedipus replies, "I will not hearken – not to know the whole" (38). ... This final decision to honour his word, determines Oedipus' less than ap...

• Word Count: 690
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

No one would doubt Oedipus as a glorious king, especially the King of Suffering. ... Oedipus, like Sherlock Holmes, moves ahead of others. ... With this belief, Oedipus is informed that "Laios was killed on the way to Delphi" (140-141) and the prophet Teiresias is then brought to Oedipus. ... Teiresias's ridiculous accusation of Oedipus as a murderer further irritates Oedipus, whom Thebans trust and rely on. ... Oedipus fails to anticipate his doomed destiny with his wisdom. ...

• Word Count: 1352
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

In the play "Oedipus the King" Sophocles depicts Oedipus' inevitable downfall, which represents man's struggle between free will and fate. ... Oedipus' struggle between fate and free will reveal a sense of humanism in his character. ... Although the outcome of the play is already known beforehand, Oedipus' determination towards solving the mystery of Laius' murder causes one to question how much Oedipus truly knew about his past. ... If ignorance serves as a moral excuse, Oedipus may be free of blame. ... The nature of Oedipus' knowledge is the vaguest element in ...

• Word Count: 631
• Approx Pages: 3
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Is this true of Oedipus? In the play Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, the main character Oedipus is seen to follow his prophesized fate, which ends in his downfall. ... Oedipus has great difficulty in believing the words of others who dispute any set ideas or beliefs he has in his mind. ... Despite Jocasta having already pieced together the tragic events which had occurred Oedipus sticks to his ideas to the very end, his pride guiding his path. Oedipus manipulates his fate unwillingly to conform to that of the oracles he is so desperately trying to avoid. ...

• Word Count: 859
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Sophocles' Oedipus, the King is a great representation of Greek tragedy and of the human experience. ... His primary focus as the story begins and progresses is the growth of Oedipus from an unintelligible and unenlightened mentality to its antithesis. ... And, fearing the dreadful prophecy, that the parents nailed their first son's feet together (thus the name Oedipus, which means "swollen-foot-) and left him to die on a lonely moun-tainside outside the city. ... The story begins after some time after Oedipus has taken the throne and when there is a mysterious plague that sweeps ...

• Word Count: 545
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

A shepherd rescues the child, Oedipus, and gives him to his king, Polybus, King of Corinth. As Oedipus grows up, he learns from an oracle that he will kill his father and marry his mother. ... Through Oedipus" determination to seek the murderer, the shepherd who "rescued" Oedipus the baby comes forth, revealing his story, which leads to the downfall of Oedipus. ... Through this act, order is finally restored in Thebes and Oedipus is left to be a crippled bum. In Sophocles" Oedipus Rex, Oedipus fulfills all the three requirements set by Aristotle to define a tragedy. ...

• Word Count: 696
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

He does this threw the character Oedipus, what Oedipus does to the character Creon, and threw the character Jocasta. ... Oedipus is met by a priest and a group of children outside his palace. ... The next character Sophocles presents is not presented for the same reason as Oedipus but rather to empathize the reason that Oedipus was presented. ... He does this threw the actions of Oedipus toward Creon. ... Jocasta expresses her mortal knowledge, Oedipus listens and in turn falls. ...

• Word Count: 1069
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

It is commonly assumed that the three works that chronicle the curse of Oedipus were intended as a trilogy, but although Antigone follows Oedipus Rex chronologically, it was written earlier. When comparing the character of Creon, as presented in Antigone, with the character as presented in Oedipus Rex, the differences in characterization are remarkably apparent. In Oedipus Rex, Creon is portrayed as a benevolent figure with seemingly little interest in power yet in Antigone; he is desperate to maintain total and complete control in his rule. ... According to the Freudian theory of the Oedipus ...

• Word Count: 1647
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

In the play Antigone, Sophocles at first portrays Creon as a respected leader who formulates a rational basis for his laws and punishments, and has a generally positive reputation among the people of Thebes. By the end of the play Creon's excessive pride, known as hubris, begins to control his acti...

• Word Count: 951
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: Undergraduate