Comparison of quotes related to Oedipus Rex, by Sophocles.

1.) Fortunate is the man who has never tasted God's vengeance.

2.) Nevertheless are the world's wonders, but none more wonderful than man.

As we read the story of Oedipus, Iocaste, and Laios, we learn of the fate of man, as the Greeks once believed, and the strength of the gods. We are taught of the inevitability of a mans own destiny, and mans ignorance with the belief of changing his future against a god's will. Although there are a few disputable subjects, there is one universal idea that can be applied in our lives, obviously being that there is a superior essence that has all the control. As Sophocles notes, man is one of the worlds most incredible wonders, however no matter how wonderful man could be, he is still under control of a greater being. This supernatural figure, in Oedipus' case, has taken command of his fate, and the more Oedipus attempted to escape his fate, the more he approached his fears unknowingly. These two quotes are profound in themselves, but as they are compared, more can be interpreted from their meanings.

These two quotes evidently show two different ideologies, yet still agree that certain restrictions, and circumstances lead to the same outcome... that God rules Man, and everything concerning him. Sophocles is conceivably attempting to project this thought out to the reader by using the tragic story of Oedipus, and his hopeless attempt to escape the powers of the Gods. Oedipus believes that he is an example of a God on earth, or as the second quote implies, the worlds most wonderful wonder, yet he ironically finds out that by believing this thought he has angered the God's, provoking the vengeance that all mankind should fear. The story of Oedipus seems to tell the theme better then any other story could, showing both the power of man, and his superiors, and the consciousness of the shift of power. Either way, as I believe, there is a supernatural being that controls not only us, but our destiny, and the sole purpose in life should be to avoid his vengeance, and eventually gain the reward that living a life full of good intentions will produce.

Another strong implication given to us by these two quotes were that of the importance of man, and his own doin

Some common words found in the essay are:
Iocaste Laios, Gods Oedipus, Thebes Oedipus, Oedipus Sophocles, Rex Sophocles, Creon Oedipus, , story oedipus, tasted god's, god's vengeance, fortunate tasted, sole purpose, fortunate tasted god's, tasted god's vengeance,
Approximate Word count = 786
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)