Oedipus's Fall

Prior to the 20th century religion played a very important role in society. The religious figures made important decisions in the world. In Sophocles’ play, Oedipus the King, religion plays a very important role. If religion wasn’t dominate in Greek society, Oedipus’s epic wouldn’t have ended as a tragedy. If it wasn’t important Oedipus would have been the Prince of Thebes, he wouldn’t have left Corinth, there wouldn’t be a Sphinx, he wouldn’t have consulted Tiresias, there wouldn’t be any oracles, and he wouldn’t have to be exiled. These various points are what led Oedipus’s epic to end as a tragedy.

If religion wasn’t vital in Greek society, Oedipus would have been Prince of Thebes. A quote from Jocasta says: “An oracle came to Laius one fine day/ (I won’t say from Apollo himself/ but his underlings his priests) and declared/ that doom would strike him down by the hands of a son,/ our sin, to be born of our flesh and blood.” (784-87). This shows that because of his parent’s religious belief they tried to kill him. If they weren’t religious they wouldn’t have tried to kill their son Oedipus. If they didn’t try to kill their son he would have been the prince of Thebes. If he were the Prince of Theb

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A quote by Oedipus reads: “Drive me out of Thebes, in exile. If Oedipus wasn’t the king he wouldn’t have married his mother, which means he would not have completely fulfilled his fate. He would have been enjoying life like very few people did. In some circumstances life could be better without it.

If religion was not dominate in the Greek world there would have been no Sphinx. This quote shows that Oedipus freed them from the Sphinx, which was the reason he became the King. If religion wasn’t essential in Greek life Oedipus would have been the Prince of Thebes rather than a exiled King of Thebes. Oedipus would have been the prince of Thebes because he wouldn’t have had the chance to do the other things. If they weren’t religious they wouldn’t believe some person is responsible because he is cursed they would think of a more logical reason and they would never find out Oedipus was cursed. If there was no Sphinx, Oedipus wouldn’t have married his mother and there would not have been a tragic end in the play. This quote shows that because of the oracles advice Oedipus fled Corinth to challenge his fate only to fulfill it. People would have never known he was the cursed one because how could they possibly find out.

If people weren’t so religious there wouldn’t be any oracles.

If religion wasn’t so important in Greek Society, Oedipus would have been the Prince of Thebes, he wouldn’t have fled Corinth, there wouldn’t be a Sphinx, he wouldn’t have consulted Tiresias, there wouldn’t be any oracles and he wouldn’t have to be exiled. This quote shows he was religious because he consulted the oracle and if he wasn’t he would not have, which means he would not have fled because he would have never known his fate.

Approximate Word count = 1052
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

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