As in any great tragedy, the story of Oedipus is rife with heartbreaking irony. ... From the beginning of the story, it is evident that Oedipus believes himself to be wise and firmly in control of himself and his surroundings. ... Oedipus' wife Jokasta attempts to reintroduce logic into the situation and tells Oedipus the story of her own "failed" prophecy in the attempt to reassure him. ... This premise of operating on faulty information can be seen repeatedly throughout the story as Oedipus' actions reflect his belief that he has escaped the region where the prophecy wa...

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

One particular aspect to this story is the curiosity of Oedipus. ... At this point in the story the prophecy has already come true, but Tiresias was aware of the prophecy and kept silent. The prophets in Oedipus the King played a role in the outcome by simply informing Oedipus of the prophecy. ... It is indeed true that the actions of Jocasta and Laius in failing to kill Oedipus in the beginning of the story paved the way for the prophecy to come to fruition. ... Was Oedipus doomed from the beginning? ...

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

In the play "Oedipus the King" Sophocles depicts Oedipus' inevitable downfall, which represents man's struggle between free will and fate. ... The sequence in which the story unravels reveals the strong psychological focus towards Oedipus' 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 v...

• 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. ... The story is one of a man who is struggling with destiny and every choice he makes effects the outcome of the story dramatically. ... Oedipus has great difficulty in believing the words of others who dispute any set ideas or beliefs he has in his mind. ... 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

The moral of this story is that human beings can't escape their fate, and thus it is not Oedipus' fault for committing those two crimes. ... When Apollo's oracle told Oedipus about the two prophecies, Oedipus tried to avoid them by moving to another city, and walked to meet his fate in Thebes. This shows Apollo's advantage in telling Oedipus about his fate. ... Also, in telling Oedipus about his prophecies, Apollo was trying to seek revenge from Oedipus' parents for trying to escape fate. ... The gods followed four steps to destroy Oedipus completely. ...

• Word Count: 1081
• Approx Pages: 4
• Has Bibliography
• 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. ... Also, the deliberate actions of the first shepherd allowed Oedipus to live. ... Instead of complying, Oedipus fought with and killed the man and his guards. ... In conclusion, it was the actions of Oedipus, his parents, and a shepherd that caused Oedipus's foretold fate to be realized, not "fate" itself. ... In this story, Sophocles may have been trying to show us that the outcomes of our lives are predetermined, but the truth is that people's free will ...

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

They believed in gods such as Athena, Artemis, Apollo, Dionysus, Zeus, and many more (Oedipus 13). ... Many Greek gods are portrayed throughout these stories. ... " However, The Greek gods were not helping Oedipus in his time of need. ... Another example of God's faithfulness and goodness is in the story of Joseph. ... In Oedipus, he is crying out to the gods and wondering why they are not doing anything to help his city. ...

• Word Count: 662
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School