Greek Literature

Cadmus, the founder of Thebes, angered Apollo by killing the God’s favorite snake. As punishment, the descendants of Cadmus lived under a curse prophesized to each generation by Apollo’s oracle. According to the prophecy, if Laius, king of Thebes, had a son by Jocasta, his queen, that son would kill his father and marry his mother. In response to this prophecy, Laius had a rivet driven between his infant son, Oedipus’ ankles, and instructed a household servant to leave him on Mt. Citheron to die from exposure to the elements. Instead, the servant pitied the infant, and without revealing his identity, gave him to a Shepard. In turn, the Shepard gave Oedipus, to Merope, the wife of Polybus, king of Corinth. They named him Oedipus, which means “swollen foot,” for the wounds in his feet.

As a young man, Oedipus was taunted for not being the true son of Polybus. Deeply troubled, Oedipus consulted the oracle of Apollo at Delphi about the accusation. But before he could ask this question, the priestess, Pythia, drove him away from Apollo’s shrine, declaring that Oedipus would kill his father and marry his mother. Horrified, Oedipus fled Corinth, the home of his supposed parents, in attemp

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This play deals with the conflict of a fall of a hero. The irony in it is that the blind Teiresias saw more than Seer Oedipus did, so Oedipus blinded himself.

Oedipus visited the Sphinx with the correct answer, “ Man, who crawls in infancy, walks upright in his prime, and leans on a Cain in old age. Oedipus asks Creon who this man is, and He says that it is the murderer of Laius, who was king before Oedipus came along. A female monster called the Sphinx was terrorizing the Thebans, eating them one by one. Oedipus realized that he was the murderer of Laius. Oedipus finds the Sheppard, and he says that he won’t tell Oedipus his real father is, but he finally reveals that it’s Laius. He told Oedipus that Apollo has commanded for them to drive out a pollution from their land, and basically to purify their land.

The Delphic Oracle:

The oracle of Apollo at Delphi, which the Greeks call the navel, or the center of the world, was where the Greeks and foreigners alike traveled form all over the Mediterranean to eek the advice of the god who knew all things and who always spoke the truth. Dramatic irony plays a large role in the story mostly being the fact that Oedipus the King is a play, where different characters, roles, and audiences know more or less knowledge differing amongst each group. Jocasta asks her husband to spare the life of her brother.

Not far from Delphi, Oedipus met a man in a chariot whose charioteer demanded that Oedipus move aside. Oedipus says that he will find the person who is responsible for Laius’ death.

Eventually, Oedipus found his way to Thebes. Even worse, someone revealed that King Laius had been killed on his way to Delphi.

Approximate Word count = 1307
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

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