Oedipus Rex

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Could anyone live with knowing his or her fate? Well that is precisely what is happening to Oedipus, King Laius, and Jocasta in the story of Oedipus Rex. These three people are caught in the grasp of fate and they don’t have a choice but to go along with the story. In Oedipus Rex by Sophocles the plot, setting, characters, foreshadowing, irony, and themes rely on one thing…fate.
In Ancient Greek times gods and the people that were chosen to communicate with them were very important. This was because the citizens strived for beneficial relationships with the gods and wanted to know what lay ahead for them. Some of the gods they worshiped include: Zeus, Poseidon, Athena, and Apollo. The people that are able to see the future are called seers or prophets. The gods would allow them to see what will happen and they would take what they witnessed and tell whoever it concerned. However Seers weren’t the only people who would have visions, Oracles would too. These are Priests who live and dedicate their lives to be in the Temple of the gods. These two different types of visionaries would play an important role in Oedipus Rex.
Jocasta’s and Laius’ fate all depends of Oedipus. The story begins with the Oracle giving them horrible news. It tells them that they will have a child, Oedipus, but when he grows up, the boy will in turn kill Laius and then it says that the boy will sleep with Jocasta after Laius dies. Both of the parents are in distress over this news, so when the little boy is born they tell a servant to put him on a mountain and leave him there to die. Years pass by and the King and Queen keep thinking that they are safe; however when Laius is on a crossroad on his way to speak to the Oracle Oedipus, his son, comes along. Lai...

... middle of paper ...

...wants to save his people. He discovers that his real parents are King Laius, the man he killed, and Queen Jocasta, his wife. All along he was the man that put the curse on the city he loved and he sees that the Oracle that he was certain he got rid of actually came true.
The story Oedipus Rex is a ghastly, heartrending story of three people who are being controlled by fate. Jocasta, Laius, and Oedipus try their hardest to avoid their fate that will ultimately destroy them. In the end Laius dies by the hand of his own son, Jocasta kills herself because she can’t bear the embarrassment that she slept with her son, and Oedipus becomes blind because of a curse and is left to wander his days waiting for death. Their destiny won and they are left dealing with the consequences.

Works Cited

http://www.ancientgreece.co.uk/gods/explore/exp_set.html
www.LitCharts.com

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