Oedipus Rex

The first 200 words of this essay...

"Oedipus Rex"

During the times of the Ancient Greeks, the pursuit of knowledge was an important part of their society. Although throughout the Greek history, stories portray the "hero" realizing that he cannot avert fate, Oedipus ignores this and attempts to garner more insight into his heritage. In Oedipus Rex, Sophocles presents Oedipus' pursuit of the truth and his will to be a "hero" as his character flaws that eventually lead to his downfall.

At the beginning of the play, the readers learn that Oedipus, the new king of Thebes has sent Creon to find out from the Delphic Oracle how to stop the plague. When Creon arrives and announces that the murderer of Laius needs to be exiled before the plague can end, Oedipus acts as the hero and tells his people that he will not stop until the murderer is punished. Sophocles uses Oedipus' heroic tendencies and willingness to find the truth to lead Oedipus to his downfall. Through Oedipus' urging, a blind prophet comes to tell the people who killed Laius. Because of Oedipus' ignorance, he pushes the prophet to far and the prophet announces that in fact Oedipus was the killer.