oedipus rex?

Question

characteration of Oedipus Rex play

Answer 1

[The original 5th-century B.C. Greek audience was assumed to be familiar with the background of the play.] Laius and Jocasta were King and Queen of the Great City of Thebes. But it had been prophesied that their son would grow up to kill Laius, his own father, and then marry Jocasta, his own mother. Fearing the divination's fulfillment, Laius and Jocasta delivered Oedipus, their infant son, to a servant, with orders that he be killed. The servant bore the babe into the wilderness, but couldn't bring himself to carry out the command. Instead, he turned the child over to a Corinthian herdsman, who in turn passed the little boy on to Polybus, King of Corinth - who adopted him as his own. Oedipus was thus raised to believe that he was the natural son of Polybus.



Oedipus Rex is a tragic play by Sophocles. The play is about a man who is doomed to the fate that was predicted by the Oracle at Delphi before his birth. Oedipus learns of his fate and immediately tries to prevent it, as did his mother and father. The actions Oedipus, Jocasta, and Laios took actually fulfilled the prophecy the Oracle told them. This paper will examine the role of fate in this play and whether or not it is as uncontrollable as Sophocles makes it out to be.
The king and queen of Thebes had a son named Oedipus. Upon the arrival of their son the king, Laios, and the queen, Jocasta, went to see the Oracle at Delphi who foretold the fate of Laios, Jocasta, and baby Oedipus. The Oracle told Laios and Jocasta that their son was fated to kill his father and marry his mother. This, of course, struck fear into the heart of the young rulers. The couple made a decision to leave the baby on a mountainside with his legs, or feet bound so that he would die of exposure. This move increases the chances of having the prophecy fulfilled because they can no longer keep an eye on him, but the parents are oblivious to this fact because they believe he will die. The problem with that plan is that the shepherd that was supposed to leave him actually took him to his home city to be raised by King Polybos and Queen Merope.

Oedipus grew up never knowing he wasn’t the son of Polybos. He heard someone say that he wasn’t his father’s son one day and that bothered him greatly. He decided to take a trip to Delphi to see if he could learn of his true origins. The Oracle told him what his fate was, but wouldn’t answer the question of his true parents. Believing that his fate involved killing Polybos and marrying Merope, he left the city vowing not to return until his father was dead. This is where Oedipus seals his fate, essentially. If he didn’t believe in the power of the Oracle, or believed the man that said he wasn’t his father’s son, then he might have stayed with his adoptive parents and lived a happier life. Oedipus tried to avoid his fate, but instead, he makes it more possible for the prophecy to be fulfilled.



You could say that if it wasn’t for the Oracle, then Oedipus, Jocasta, and Laios may have lived happily ever after. The Oracle led these three to their ruin. Having seen the Oracle about another matter, Oedipus heard his fate, then proceeded to try and prevent it. Laios and Jocasta believed the Oracle, but they also believed they could control their fate. The play makes it seem as though fate can’t be controlled because when you try and control fate, the decisions you make cause your fate to be sealed. It is interesting to try and figure out how these events would have been able to take place if no one tried to control their own fate. In all likelihood, the fate of Oedipus would have been much different if his parents decided to accept fate, rather than control it. It can be said that fate is only uncontrollable when you try to control it.

Fate and prophecy aren’t limited to just the prophecy the Oracle gave in this play. There is also foreshadowing as to what will happen to Oedipus as he tries to discover the killer of Laios to save his city. The priest of Apollo is blind and old and knows the real truth behind the identity of Oedipus. Oedipus mocks him and states that he will never be like him, but in the end he’s blinded as the old man is and had discovered that you can’t escape your fate. Oedipus believes that fate can be controlled throughout the play, until the end. He yearns for the truth, but will not believe it when it is spelled out for him because he’s already convinced himself that he beat his fate by moving out of the city of his father. Jocasta believes she’s beaten fate, too. She didn’t believe what the Oracle had to say because Laios and she pierced their son’s ankles and left him for dead. A dead baby can’t kill his father, or marry his mother. Jocasta believes that killing her son was a mistake because if the son died, their fate couldn’t be fulfilled and if their fate couldn’t be fulfilled, then it isn’t really fate after all.

Sophocles is making a point with Oedipus Rex. His point is that the more you try and control fate, the more it controls you. What does this mean exactly? Do you control your fate by accepting it? Or do you just live your life without trying to learn what your fate will be? Or is he just saying that no matter what you do, your fate will fulfill itself with or without your help? It seems likely that the point would be to just live your life and do not worry what fate will bring you because when you try to control the uncontrollable, you end up virtually painting yourself into a corner. Throughout the play you see Oedipus get broken from fate and trying to escape it. It would seem that he would lose all hope because no matter what he does, the prophecies laid out for him keep coming true. Sophocles was probably trying to say to just live your life. You can’t change your fate, so why not just keep it a surprise? Don’t waste your time with oracles and don’t try and control your fate.

Answer 2

Oedipus at Colonus is a different play than Oedipus Rex. Sophocles wrote three plays concerning the Oedipus myth: Oedipus Rex, Oedipus at Colonus, and Antigone