Greek Hero King: Oedipus Rex As A Greek Theatre Tragedy

Oedipus Rex is a classic example of a Greek theatre tragedy, written by Sophocles, and first performed in 429 BC. The story features Oedipus, the King of Thebes, and his story to lift the curse off of his kingdom by finding the previous king’s murderer and prosecuting him. In a crazy turn of events, it turns out that Oedipus is actually the son of the late King Laius, and his father’s killer. Due to a prophecy divulged to Oedipus’ father, Oedipus was left at a crossroads when he was a baby because it was told he would kill his father and sleep with his mother. Coincidentally, the entire time they were searching for the murderer, it was Oedipus himself who did the deed, and Oedipus who had to suffer the consequences of the preceding actions.

At first thought, it’s increasingly difficult to decide whether or not he deserved what he was doled out. On one hand, he had no idea what his parents did, or how they set him up to fulfill destinies plan, and on the other hand, it was his own decision to strike down his father after releasing his temper. Sophocles does a great job making Oedipus out to be a great king, for the most part, a man with compassion for his subjects, and a desire to end their

The author gives a nod to how important it is to heed the words of the Gods and how it’s impossible to escape the fate that they lay out for you, whether you deserve it or not, no matter where you go. It’s similar to trying to escape death. Sophocles portrays this idea very clearly by means of Laius, Jocasta, and Oedipus, all doing their best to run away from what the prophecies of Apollo said to them. Even though they all had eluding intentions, none of them could escape the pages that were so masterfully scribed for them. The primary take away is that Oedipus was a victim of fate, but he certainly contributed with his own free will, making him responsible for his own actions. I completely agree with what Sophocles was depicting in this story, to a certain extent. I’m a religious person, so I believe there is a plan predestined for everyone, a plan for happiness, in contrast to Oedipus. However, I don’t believe we have to be victims of our own fates, but rather we have free will through awareness of our situations and our character. If we become blinded by the dream of reality, we inherently lose our means of free will, and can only regain it through awareness. If Oedipus was aware of his situation, even a little bit, he would not have killed the random man in the crossroads, and he could have written his own story. This leads me to believe that he was indeed responsible for the decisions he