The Tragedy of Oedipus

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The Tragedy of Oedipus Oedipus Rex chronicles the story of Oedipus, a man who becomes the king of Thebes who was destined from birth to murder his father Laius and marry his mother Jocasta. Before and throughout the story, several characters visit the Oracle of Apollo at Delphi hoping to obtain guidance. The characters that received prophecies were Jocasta, the Queen; Creon, Jocasta’s brother; and Oedipus, the King. In each case the advice given to the characters was harmful to them. When Jocasta was married to Laius and pregnant with Oedipus, she received a prophecy from the oracle in Delphi. The oracle stated that, “…Laius’ doom would be death at the hands of his own son.” (Sophocles 228). The quote explains that their unborn child will grow up to murder her husband, the child’s father. By telling Jocasta this she becomes frightened for the safety of her husband, and they decide that the only way to solve the problem is to kill the baby when it is born. When Oedipus is born, he is taken out of the country, to a deserted mountain side. There, the servant from Thebes supposedly pierces Oedipus’ ankles into the mountain side, and leaves him there to die. All of the actions were carried out when Oedipus was only three days old. When the town of Thebes was contaminated with the plague, Creon, Jocasta’s brother, visited the oracle and received shocking news. The oracle stated, “By exile or death, blood for blood, it was murder that brought the plague on the city.” (Sophocles 207). The prophecy states that the city is plague-ridden due to and unsolved murder of King Laius, and that the only way to get rid of the sickness is to discover who the murderer is. When King Laius was murdered, no one in the city had time to think about who the murderer was because the Sphinx was threatening to destroy the city. This is when Oedipus appears and solves the Sphinx’s

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