The ancient Greeks have often depended upon the advice of the soothsayers and oracles, which they considered as reliable sources of information, during difficult times in their lives. In the play Oedipus Rex, by Sophocles, Oedipus and Iocaste sought help from these sources in their times of need. It was their arrogance and fear that caused them to be skeptical of the oracle's prophecy. Their efforts to escape the inevitable blinded them from the truth when it began to unravel before them, which led to their disastrous downfall. By the end of the play, Sophocles reveals his belief in the oracles, but they do not prevent man from making his own choices; thus, making him responsible for his own actions.
             Throughout the play, Oedipus and Iocaste display an arrogant attitude. They both show an offensive sense of superiority to the people, the oracle and the soothsayer. At the opening of the play, Oedipus displays his arrogance to both the citizens of Thebes and the reader. He first characterizes himself as a father figure to the people, thus establishing a sense of superiority when he addresses the people as "My children . . ." (Prologue 3). In the opening dialogue, while the people of Thebes are praying, for relief of the plague, he presents himself as a god. He says, "Children, I would not have you speak through messengers,And therefore I have come myself to hear you -/ I, Oedipus, who bear the famous name" (i, 4). At a devastating moment while the people are asking for help he says, "I have come myself to hear you" implying that he is the answer to their prayers. He goes on to refer to himself as "I, Oedipus, Who bear the famous name," drawing upon his past success with the!
             Sphinx and reinforcing the fact that he saved the city when it was once in despair and that he can do it again. It could be argued that he is just a king trying to calm his worried subjects but this is not an isolated incident. He reveals his arrogance again in...