The story of "Oedipus the King" is of a man who falls shamelessly from power.
Sophocles' wrote this Dramatic Irony using themes of fate and blindness. As the story unfolds,
it's quite evident Oedipus did in fact kill his Father and marry his Mother, just as an Oracle had
predicted. Oedipus is portrayed to be self-confident, intelligent, and strong-willed. Ironically it
was these very traits that brought him to his demise.
It's ironic that Oedipus solved the Sphinx's riddle, "What goes on four legs in the
morning, two at noon, and three at evening?" (1253) with the reply of "Man". Sophocles wrote
this riddle as a metaphor of Oedipus' life. As a baby crawling on all fours, as a matured man
only using two legs; upon reaching the later days of life, three, two legs and the use of a cane.
Oedipus gained kingship of Thebes by solving this riddle that was preventing the country of
solving the murder of it's King, Laios. "Made us deaf to all mysteries but her own." (1259). To
solve a riddle that condenses Oedipus' life, to become ruler of a land who's king was murdered
by that very man, it's a sign that fate is rearing it's ugly head. He then calls a curse on the person
who killed the King, in essence calling the curse upon himself.
From the very beginning to the very end of this play, people from all aspects attempted to
control the fate that had been laid before them. It all started with King Laios and Iocaste trying to
outwit the gods by giving the young Oedipus to a Shepherd to kill upon hearing the oracle that
the baby would kill his Father and marry his Mother. As we find out later in the story this
Shepherd could not bring himself to killing the child and inadvertently gave him to King Polybus
of Corinth to be raised as his own. Fate would make sure this baby would not die before
...