Oedipus

A detailed Summary of Oedipus


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 embodiement 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' life and to futher characterized him as a tragic man.

The Sphinx posed the following riddle to all who came to obtain the rule of thebes: "What is it that walks on 4 feet and 2 feet and 3 feet and has only one voice, when it walks on most feet it is the weakest?" 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


the truth. This fulfills the final part of the Sphinx's riddle for Oedipus will have to walk with a cane for the rest of his life because of his blindness, this will give him the 3 feet which man walks with at the end of his years.

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 inevitable brought about his own tragic ending by a horrible discovery.

of Jocasta and King Laius who was taken to the mountain by a shepard to be killed so the omen of the god apollo that Laius' son would kill him and lay with Jocasta would not come true. Oedipus was the weakest of his life at this point. If it has not been for the shepard spairing his life and giving him to Polybus to raise as his own Oedipus would have died.

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Some common words found in the essay are:
Thebes Oedipus, Sphinx Sophocles, King Laius, Oedipus King, Inadvertently Oedipus, Jocasta Queen, riddle sphinx, king thebes, answer riddle, answering riddle, tragic discovery, riddle oedipus, answer riddle sphinx, god apollo, 2 feet, tragic discovery oedipus, oedipus child, 3 feet,

Approximate Word count = 777
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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