In my paper, I am going to discuss how Oedipus and Antigone both exhibit traits that qualify them to be defined as heroic characters. I am also going to compare and contrast their characters. In regards to the heroic code, they both fulfill the requirements that would make them heroes. Oedipus was the king of Thebes, whose world was turned upside down with the revelation of a few certain events. His daughter, Antigone, also went through a string of events that led to her untimely demise as well.
Oedipus was a confident king who was revered for solving the riddle of the Sphinx. After he saved his land from the curse of the Sphinx, there was a murder case that was brought to his attention. He was told that the previous king, Laius, was murdered. Being the dedicated king that he was, Oedipus decided to find the murderer and either kill him or exile him from the land. Unless this person was found, the gods would place a plague on his land, so that was the reason for Oedipus to be so adamant in finding the killer. There was much speculation as to who this person was, and only a few people knew the true identity of the killer. The blind prophet, Tiresias, was led to Oedipus, and he began to tell Oedipus the reality of the situation. The problem was, Tiresias spoke in riddles, making the story very difficult for Oedipus to understand. Oedipus finally gave up trying to understand the riddles, and went about finding the killer in another way.
As the play progresses, Oedipus has a conversation with his wife, Jocasta. Jocasta was Laius" wife, and Oedipus began to inquire about how Laius was murdered. As Jocasta told Oedipus about the way that Laius was killed, he began to realize that he, in fact, was there that night that Laius had died. He began to piece together the puzzle that he was the killer, but he still wasn't sure. To confirm what he already though, against Jocasta's wishes, Oedipus sent for a herdsman who knew the story.
