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Oedipus The King

            Oedipus The King; Did the prophecy cause his destiny?.
             Undoubtedly there has been a tremendous amount of speculation and dissection of this play by countless people throughout the ages. I can only draw my own conclusions as to what Sophocles intended the meaning of his play to be. The drama included a number of horrific and unthinkable moral and ethical dilemas, but I believe that was what made the play so interesting and that is exactly the way Sophocles intended it to be. The play was obviously meant to entertain and portray the author's own insight. The underlying theme to the play is that no man should know his own destiny, it will become his undoing. This knowledge of things to come was presented to both Laius and Oedipus in the form of prophecies well in advance of it coming to be. The prophecies told of things that were so morally disturbing that they both aggressively did everything in their power to try and stop them from coming true. The story begins with Oedipus at the height of power as King of Thebes. His kingdom has encountered rough times and he has sent his nobleman Creon to seek help from the god Apollo to restore his land. Creon tells Oedipus that he must find the murderer of the previous King Laius and by finding this man and banishing him, his land will be restored. The murder occurred some time ago and King Oedipus sends for the seer Theiresias with his powers of prophecy to aid in the search for the murderer. Sophocles cleverly projects his feelings on wisdom and knowledge through Teirsias when he says "Alas, how terrible is wisdom when it brings no profit to the man that's wise!-(23) Teirsias knows that this terrible prophecy has already been set into motion and the damage has already been done. There is really no point in telling it to Oedipus because it will only cause more harm than good. Oedipus provokes Teirsias into telling him the prophecy, " Í tell you, king, this man, this murderer-he is here.


Essays Related to Oedipus The King

1. Oedipus The King

At the outset, in fear of killing King Polybus, the man who he believes is his father, Oedipus self-exiles himself from Corinth. ... He is called upon by Oedipus to provide information about the murder of King Laius. ... Despite Oedipus" status, Teiresias never feels obligated to serve him; he speaks by his own will and the will of the gods: TEIRESIAS: King though you are, one right - To answer - makes us equal; and I claim it. ... Oedipus soon ends up in Corinth, where he is raised by King Polybus and his wife, Merope. ... In King Oedipus, Oedipus, Laius, and Jocasta exercise freew...

  • Word Count: 1019
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: High School

2. Oedipus The King

Oedipus The King was originally written by Sophocles. ... The name Oedipus means swollen foot. ... I think that King Oedipus is dumb primarily because of these reasons. ... Oedipus then becomes irrational. ... Oedipus the king was an oustanding play, and deffinately a good example of a "perfect tradegy". ...

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3. King oedipus long essay

King Oedipus Long Essay King Oedipus, a classic Greek play, was written almost 2500 years ago by a playwright named Sophocles. ... One of the first problems with Oedipus" temper happens fifteen years before he becomes king. ... Tiresias is asked by Oedipus to come to Thebes and tell him who was the murderer of the last king, Laius. ... As usual, King Oedipus explodes at the situation because he is being challenged for his position. ... But the shepherd is reluctant to speak because if he tells the king about what sins Oedipus has created, he feels Oedipus will kill him. ...

  • Word Count: 1090
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: High School

4. Oedipus

The play starts in medias res with the noble King Oedipus comforting victims of a plague that has fallen on Thebes. ... In Oedipus the King by Sophocles, Oedipus is a man destined to fail because he is blind to the truth. ... As the play opens, Oedipus is a caring king who is deeply concerned about the citizens of Thebes. ... After defeating the Sphinx, Oedipus was presented the widowed Jocasta and was made king. ... Oedipus has three tragic flaws in Oedipus the King. ...

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5. Oedipus The King

Oedipus correctly answered "Man" and became the king of Thebes. ... Oedipus then answers the riddle of the Sphinx and becomes king of Thebes. ... Oedipus is told by the gods to find the killer of King Laius. ... Secondly, King Lauis is Oedipus's birth father. ... Character changes play an important role in "Oedipus, the King." ...

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6. Oedipus The King

In Sophocles' tragedy Oedipus the King, King Oedipus does everything in his power to avoid his tragic fate; however, he soon realizes that he can't escape his destiny. ... Shortly before the birth of their son, King Laius and Queen Jocasta received word of a chilling prophecy. ... After a series of strange events, Oedipus ends up in Thebes, where he is crowned King after defeating the Sphinx. ... Oedipus' past slowly unfolds, and finally both Oedipus and Jocasta learn the horrible truth. ... Oedipus also made it his goal to find out who killed King Laius, not realizing that i...

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7. Oedipus

(Oedipus the King Prologue 43-46). ... Creon returns to tell Oedipus that Apollo has commanded he take revenge on whoever killed the former King Laios. As any good king should Oedipus promises, "You shall see how I stand by you, as I should, To avenge the city and the city's god By avenging the murdered king- (Oedipus the King Prologue 138-143). ... With Teiresias" true knowledge of Oedipus" origin and true identity he tries to advise Oedipus, "How dreadful knowledge of the truth can be- (Oedipus the King 1.101). ... (Oedipus the King 1.144-149, 1.222). ...

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8. Oedipus

(Oedipus the King Prologue 43-46). ... Creon returns to tell Oedipus that Apollo has commanded he take revenge on whoever killed the former King Laios. As any good king should Oedipus promises, "You shall see how I stand by you, as I should, To avenge the city and the city's god By avenging the murdered king- (Oedipus the King Prologue 138-143). ... With Teiresias" true knowledge of Oedipus" origin and true identity he tries to advise Oedipus, "How dreadful knowledge of the truth can be- (Oedipus the King 1.101). ... (Oedipus the King 1.144-149, 1.222). ...

  • Word Count: 910
  • Approx Pages: 4
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9. King Oedipus and Thebes

Oedipus was made king after solving the "Riddle of the Sphinx." ... Oedipus' prophecy was made true when the shepherd who was ordered to bring Oedipus to the mountains and kill him did not kill him but instead gave him to another shepherd. ... The basis of the story is revolved around this prophecy and started when the second shepherd gave young Oedipus to Polybus, king of Corinth, and Merope, queen of Corinth. ... Oedipus' first encounter with this riddle is when he argues with Tiresias thinking that Creon and he want to overthrow Oedipus so that they can claim the throne of Theb...

  • Word Count: 805
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Grade Level: High School

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