Greek tragedy is the quintessential expression of ancient Greek culture, acknowledging the importance of religious, familial, and community dynamics as chief moral ideals of the time. Greece was established into many cities, each governed by a king, where community life was essentially self-contained. Overall, Greek values emphasize a submissive relationship with the gods, allowing the deities to have full control over one's fate. However, individual thought was also becoming a more common notion at this time, and people were often conflicted between their own views and Greek tradition. Many of these ideals as well as social concerns are expressed in the stories Oedipus the King and Oedipus at Colonus, through Oedipus" relationships with his family, his kingdom and most importantly the gods. His character evolves throughout the story, from the beginning where Oedipus identifies himself by the way he is seen by the community, to the end where he is blinded and forced to look inwardly to identify himself. In order to achieve this transformation, Oedipus experiences the complete destruction of his life and ideals, and is able to accept himself not only for the person who he is fated to become but also for the person he has already been. This progression indicates the importance of Greek tragedy as a means of catharsis for the audience, presenting Oedipus" development as the tragic hero. Moreover, it expresses Sophocles" social commentary concerning the evolution of individual thought versus loyalty to traditional beliefs and submission to fate.
The tragedy of Oedipus begins with a speech that gives an idea of Oedipus" self-perception, describing himself as, "Oedipus whom all men call great (line 8)," and referring to others as his suppliants. Here, he is not only expressing arrogance but also showing that he identifies himself with what other men think he is. The reason that he became King of Thebes was because he saved the city by solving the riddle of the sphinx.