Riddle of Doom

A detailed Summary of Riddle of Doom

Sophocles "Oedipus the King" is a tragic play which discusses the tragic discovery of Oedipus that he has killed his father and married his mother. The story of Oedipus was well known to the Athenian's. Oedipus is the embodiment of the perfect Athenian. He is self-confident, intelligent, and strong willed. Ironically these are the very traits which bring about his tragic discovery. Oedipus gained the rule of Thebes by answering the riddle of Sphinx. Sophocles used the riddle of the sphinx as a metaphor for the 3 phases of Oedipus's life and to further characterize him as a tragic man.

The Sphinx posed the following riddle to all who came to obtain the rule of Thebes: "What goes on four feet in the morning, two at noon, and three in the evening" (889)? Oedipus correctly answered "Man" and became the king of Thebes. This riddle is a metaphor for the life of Oedipus. As a child man crawls on his hands and knees, this is the four feet to which the Sphinx refers. Also man is at his weakest as a small child. He depends solely on others for his nourishment and well being. Oedipus was the child of Jocasta and King Laius who was taken to the mountain by a henchman to be killed, "he was'nt three day

Oedipus used his intellect and diligence to answer the riddle of the Sphinx. Many of the most intelligent young men of Themes had been killed attempting to answer the riddle, but Oedipus proved his intelligence superior to theirs. Oedipus uses the same intelligence and perseverance to find the killer of Laius. He does not give up his search even when Jocasta warns him to stop and let the matter rest, she argues, "oh no,/ listen to me, I beg you, don't do this... No, please-/ for your sake- I want the best for you" (1166-1167). Although Tiresias reveals the terrible truth that Oedipus was Laius' murderer, Oedipus arrogantly dismisses the thought and later calls on a shepard for further insight. Oedipus interrogates him till he discovers the horrifying truth that he not only was Laius' son, but it was also verified that he was the killer.

The sphinx's riddle was used by Sophocles to characterize Oedipus as a tragic man and as a parallel to his life. The riddle describes the 3 stages which Oedipus went through in his life. Also in answering the riddle Oedipus inevitably brought about his own tragic ending threw a horrible discovery.

Man walks on 2 feet when he has matured. This is a metaphor for Oedipus when he reaches adulthood and leaves Corinth to escape the oracle as he was told, "you are fated to couple with your mother, you will bring/ a breed of children into light no man can bare to see-/ you will kill your father

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Approximate Word count = 973
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

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