Реферат: The Fate Of King Oedipus Essay Research

had no way to control what his parents did to him after he was born. Then,

eighteen years later, he leaves Corinth for Delphi, to check on his parentage

at the oracle of Apollo. The oracle, though, gives him a horrific prediction.

Which is that he will kill his father and sleep with his mother, which are the

two most inconceivable crime in a Greek family. After hearing this he flees

Corinth and heads toward Thebes believing to of left his father behind in case

the oracle was right.

However, the god Apollo has somewhat tricked him. Since he believes

that his real father is Polybus, but he does not yet know that his father is the

King of Thebes, which is where he is going. Along the way he meets an old

man driving a wagon of slaves at a place where three roads meet, and he then

precedes to kill him.

Years pass after this incident, during which time he becomes King of

Thebes, marries Jocasta (his mother), and fathers four children by her.

Slowly, Thebes becomes engulfed by a horrific plague, which kills animals,

children, and crops. Oedipus, being the brave king he is, promises to save his

city. Since plagues are caused by pollution, and the pollution is caused by

sins the gods are the only one’s who can reveal it’s cause. Oedipus sends his

brother-in-law, Creon, to see the oracle at Delphi again, and the god’s answer

is that the plague was caused due to an unpunished murderer. That being the

murderer of Laius. He then places a terrible curse on the murderer whomever

it is, and then looks for help from Teiresias, the respected prophet. She tells

him that he is the killer, and she hints at even worse crimes. Oedipus is

enraged at what she tells him, and thinks that Teiresias and Creon have made

this up to dethrone him. Teiresias departs with threats of her life while Creon

begs his innocence. Oedipus does not believe him, and would have had him

executed if not for Jocasta.

After hearing that the argument was the result of what an oracle had

told them she reassures Oedipus by saying that what the oracles say is