At the beginning of Oedipus the King, Oedipus is highly confident, and with good reason. He has saved Thebes from the curse of the Sphinx and becomes the king of the city virtually overnight. ... Creon holds the same unquestioned supremacy that Oedipus once held, Oedipus now holds nothing but his shame. ... In Greek mythology the gods are rarely wrong in their predictions of the future. ... Sophocles plays describe how once good men turn bad when given too much power....

• Word Count: 1256
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

Little known to him, hearing his future leads him closer to his fate. ... Oedipus believes Apollo's words about his future and leaves Corinth in hopes to change the future, but Sophocles shows how trying to outsmart fate will only lead one to it. ... He trusts Apollo's words and must find the murderer of King Laius in order to rid the city of the plague. ... Once he left Corinth, Oedipus believed he outsmarted his own destiny. ... He begins to doubt the power of Gods in foreseeing one's future. ...

• Word Count: 1473
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

In Aeschylus's Agamemnon, the title character is a returning king who behaves arrogantly and thoughtlessly. ... Jason in Euripides's Medea deserts his family for a new marriage which he hopes will further his station, but his old wife kills his new wife and his children, ending his hopes for a shining future. ... He isn't acting like a very good king, and his people aren't impressed by him. ... No king, no matter how hard he tries, can be a perfect ruler. ... She immediately begins plotting against the lives of her husband, his bride, and his father-in-law the king. ...

• Word Count: 1999
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: High School

Medea bore two children with Jason and looked to having a future with him. ... A future with Jason was not to be. ... "After a painful search I found one cure: I acted at once. ... He was given to the king and queen of Corinth where he was raised to adulthood. ... The servant is sent for at once. ...

• Word Count: 2458
• Approx Pages: 10
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School