Example Of World Literature Essay

Oedipus Rex is a tragedy in Athens by Sophocles and was performed around 429 BC. This play focuses on tragedy whereby a man called Oedipus killed his father and married his mother. It is noted in this play that Oedipus’ own faults contributed to his downfall and is considered to be a myth. Oedipus was a son of King Laius and queen Jocasta from Thebes and later in life an oracle reveals to the king that he would perish in the hands of his own son. This paper aims at defining the problem of Oedipus, why he killed his father and married his mother and ended up both with no kingdom and eyes.
Oedipus was responsible for Thebe’s affiliations and was referred to as a murderer and an old man who was a seer was to reveal that. The blind seer had foreseen that Oedipus was to kill his father and told Oedipus that it would be good if he resisted from that. Oedipus then felt like the seer was against his throne. Oedipus also felt that it would be shameful when his true parentage was to be discovered. In order to have the throne, Oedipus then decided to clear with his father by killing him. To maintain the throne, he had to exist in the kingdom and later married his mother.
In conclusion, Oedipus became mad after realizing that what he did was wrong and later discovered that his mother hanged herself. The horrible prophecy then made Oedipus remove his mother’s golden brooches and put on his eyes. This was because he did not want to see results of the horrible prophecy. With no kingdom, Oedipus ended up blind, miserable and bloody. Besides, he was announced as a murderer of his father and a defiler of his mother’s bed.

Works Cited

Sophocles, and George Young. Oedipus Rex. New York: Dover Publications, 2001. Print.