Oedipus the King is one of the most famous plays of the world by Sophocles, who is considered a maestro of Greek tragic literature. The Oedipus was written by the author centuries back and the idea of Sophocles has probably inspired the Sigmund Freud to enact his theory related to child and mother relation centuries later. This paper discusses the several aspects of the story as well as the Laius relationship with the Oedipus and what Oedipus thinks about the whole affair.
The story of the play revolves around Oedipus and his set of mind. The story depicts that a son was born in the house of Laius, the king of the Thebes and her queen Jocasta. On his birth astrologers predicted that the child is destined to kill his father and marry his mother. Hearing such Oracle the king ordered to throw the child in mountains to die but the child was found by a shepherd who gave the child to Polybus and Merope. The Oedipus was aware of the curse and he abandoned the house of his parents to avoid any misfortune.
When the Oedipus becomes the king of the Thebes, an epidemic surrounds the city and people cried for his help. He sends Creon to the oracle who says that the epidemic will end only when the murderer of the Laius will be caught. Oedipus decides to find the murderer of the Laius and seeks the help of Tireseas, a prophet who refuses to answer that who killed the Laius but when Oedipus blames that he has killed the former king, the blind prophet revealed that Oedipus himself is the murderer of Laius.
Oedipus alleges Creon that he has conspired against him and threatens him with dire consequences. Quenn Jocasta comes and advice Oedipus to not to worry and tells him that the oracles lie. She cites her own example that how an oracle predicted that her child will kill king Laius and marry her mother which turned to be a lie. Oedipus though was worried and he recalled the events that he had came across earlier.
He recalls how he killed Laius when he was the prince. The account of Laius death was portrayed the same situation as he murdered a man years ago. Joasta, the wife of Laius and biological mother of the Oedipus was his wife now. A number of incidents suggest that the prophecy has been materialized into the reality and the king Oedipus not only killed his father as predicted but also married his mother. After knowing the truth, Oedipus stabbed his eyes and begs to Creon to send him at any place which is aloof from Thebes.
The play is full of the tragic incidents but still allure the audiences because of its strong story line. The author is definitely the best in the tragic writing and successful in keeping the audiences intact with the story. The play is highly acclaimed all over the world and is taught to the students in several colleges and the universities because of its meaning that it carries. The story has a set of odd relations, emotions, situations and the mentality of the characters which is a unique feature of the play. The story ends with a number of tragic events leaving the audiences mind to think on a number of issues.
Example Of Essay On How Oedipus The King Keeps the Suspense
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"Example Of Essay On How Oedipus The King Keeps the Suspense." WowEssays, Dec 07, 2019. Accessed November 24, 2024. https://www.wowessays.com/free-samples/example-of-essay-on-oedipus-the-king/
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"Example Of Essay On How Oedipus The King Keeps the Suspense," Free Essay Examples - WowEssays.com, 07-Dec-2019. [Online]. Available: https://www.wowessays.com/free-samples/example-of-essay-on-oedipus-the-king/. [Accessed: 24-Nov-2024].
Example Of Essay On How Oedipus The King Keeps the Suspense. Free Essay Examples - WowEssays.com. https://www.wowessays.com/free-samples/example-of-essay-on-oedipus-the-king/. Published Dec 07, 2019. Accessed November 24, 2024.
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