Oedipus Rex
Sophocles' "Oedipus the King" is a tragic play which discusses the tragic discovery of Oedipus that he has killed his father andmarried his mother. The story of Oedipus was well known to the athenian's. Oedipus is the embodiement of the perfect Athenian. He is self-confident, intelligent, and strong willed. Ironically these are the very traits which bring about his tragic discovery. Oedipus gained the rule of Thebes by answering the riddle of Sphinx. Sophocles used the riddle of the sphinx as a metaphor for the 3 phases of Oedipus' life and to futher characterized him as a tragic man. The Sphinx posed the following riddle to all who came to obtain the rule of thebes: "What is it that walks on 4 feet and 2 feetand 3 feet and has only one voice, when it walks on most feet it is the weakest?" Oedipus correctly answered "Man" and became the king of Thebes. This riddle is a metaphor for the life of Oedipus. As a child man crawls on his hands and knees this is the four feet to which the Sphinx refers. Also man is at his weakest as a small child. He depends solely on others for his nourishment and well being. Oedipus was the
Also in answering the riddle Oedipus inevitable brought about his own tragic ending by a horrible discovery. child of Jocasta and King Laius who was taken to the mountain by a shepard to be killed so the omen of the god apollo that Laius' son would kill him and lay with Jocasta would not come true. He is very dilligent in the inquiriy and finally comes to the horrible truth that he himself is the murderer. Jocasta kills herself at the horrible realization that she has layed with her son and Oedipus puts out his eyes at finally seeing the truth. Thus even though he had killed his father he would have never become king of Thebes and laid with his mother. If it has not been for the shepard spairing his life and giving him to Polybus to raise as hisown Oedipus would have died. Oedipus then answers the riddle of the sphinx and becomes king of Thebes. Also, if Oedipus had not had been as coarageous he would have have never ventured to answer the riddle of the Sphinx. Oedipus is told by the gods to find the killer of Laius. The riddle describes the 3 stages which Oedipus went through in his life. Man walks on 2 feet when he has matured. He calls the shepard and interrogates him till he discovers the horrifying truth that he is the killer. This fulfills the final part of the Sphinx's riddle for Oedipus will have to walk with a cane for the rest of his life because of his blindness, this will give him the 3 feet which man walks with at the end of his years. He does not give up his search even when Jocasta warns him to stop and let the matter rest. The sphinx's riddle was used by Sophocles to characterize Oedipus as a tragic man and as a parallel to his life.
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