Who Was Responsible For The Downfall Of Oedipus

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The tragic beginning for the city of Thebes all begins the day that the prophecy of Oedipus is revealed. According to the prophecy, Oedipus is supposed to assassinate his father and make love with his mother. Knowing this, his father orders to have his son killed but the servant in charge of this duty gives his son to an old man because he pities the young infant. Although Oedipus indeed did commit these atrocious acts he cannot be fully blamed because he did not know the implications of his actions. In fact, could it be Laius and Jocasta’s fault for believing in these prophecies so much that they cursed themselves the day that they ordered Oedipus to be gone and laid upon the city of Thebes a curse which could have been stopped? Taking responsibility for your actions is the right thing to do, however one should not have to pay for the mistakes of others. …show more content…

An example of how there is unjust treatment towards him is when he solves the riddle of the Sphinx and it suddenly becomes his fault that he is the one person who is intelligent enough to solve a riddle and save the city of Thebes. The prophet Teiresias even said “That success of yours has been your ruin” referring to the riddle that Oedipus solved (QUOTE). For a matter of a fact, Oedipus ran away from his father Polybus to ensure that the prophecy would not come into fruition. Although, Oedipus cannot reverse his actions, he did take responsibility for his actions by taking out his

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