Literary Criticism Of Oedipus The King

Oedipus Rex Literary Criticism Essay Assignment
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Introduction
Sophocles (495BC-405BC) was a renowned and most successful Athenian author who was known for writing tragic stories during his lifetime. He was able to write a total of 120 plays but out of those only seven are available. Out of the surviving seven plays that Sophocles wrote, Oedipus the King which is also referred to as Oedipus the Rex or Oedipus Tyrannos that was written around 420 BC, has been for a long time regarded not only as the best plays, but also as the purest as well as most powerful representation of Greek tragic dramas. One of the most famous characters in the play is known as Oedipus; he was a stranger to Thebes, but later was crowned as the King of the city of Thebes after the King Laius was murdered by some unknown assailants about between fifteen and sixteen years before the play began. Oedipus the king is a great play which is quite breathe taking especially to those who enjoy thrilling and mysterious stories. The play is also a representation of the style of ancient government and how people used to rise to power during those days (CATENACCIO 102).
This essay examines the view of ancient Greek government that can be witnessed in the Oedipus the king and what can be inferred about Sophocles argument of how it operated.
The Review of Oedipus the King
The play of Oedipus the King begins with a mystery of murder, psychological whodunit, and a political thriller. This is a mythic play that tells a story about an incest and patricide; Sophocles greatly emphasizes on the ironical situation of a man who is determined pursue, unearth, and bring the assassin to justice. However, it is quite stunning how it turns out that the investigator who has been tracking down the assassin is actually the one. As the play starts with Oedipus as the king of Thebes, the citizens of Thebes are begging their king to find a solution to the plague that was threatening to destroy the city. To find a solution to the problem, Oedipus sent his brother-in-law, Creon to find out from the oracle on what could be done on the threatening plague. When Creon returned from the oracle had instructed him to find those who had assassinated King Laius. King Laius was the king of Thebes before Oedipus took over the kingship. Creon said that the only way Thebes could be healed from the plague that had engulfed it was by finding the assassins of king Laius and brings them to justice. Immediately King Oedipus heard the message that the oracle had delivered to the people of Thebes concerning the plague, King Oedipus sets out immediately to track down the assassins. The King summoned the blind prophet by the name Tiresias who refused to speak at the first instance, but when was pressed to speak, he finally accused Oedipus of killing Laius. King Oedipus profusely refuted that revelation and angrily ordered the blind prophet to immediately leave his presence, but Tiresia did not leave before he tried to hint at a dark incestuous marriage a future of infamy, wandering and blindness (Curran 127).
In the play there are two kings or rulers or kings in the city of Thebes, the first is Oedipus and the other is Creon who ascended to power after the demise of Oedipus. Oedipus who was the stranger in the city of Thebes was crowned as the ruler of Thebes after the murder of King Laius that took place about fifteen years ago before the onset of the play. He was offered the kingship or the throne because he successfully saved the City from the wrath of Sphinx; an event that has been mentioned in several scenes in the play. Oedipus married the widow of king Laius. Jocasta, and they four children together; two sons called Eteocles and Polynices, and also two daughters called Antigone and Ismene. The two sons of Oedipus and Jocasta killed one another and this enabled Creon to be crowned as the ruler of the city (Dawe 5).
The kingship of Oedipus implies that the government of the ancient Greek was under hereditary. From the play it can be seen that Oedipus actually succeeding his father King Laius whom he had unknowingly killed. After the messenger who was a shepherd in Corinth informed him of his real roots, it was now clear that he had killed his own father and in the process married his mother it was something that he could not fathom and this left him with no option but to go on an exile. While, he was in exile it was his two sons, Eteocles and Polynices that were supposed to take the thrown from him, but they had killed one another. This left Creon to take over the leadership of Thebes. Other than implying that the government was hereditary kind of government, there is also a clear scenario of fate. It is through fate that is why Oedipus and Creon ascended became the rulers of Thebes (DuBois 65).
Who Rules Thebes at the End of the Play?
The play ends with Creon as the king of Thebes. After Thebes was put under siege by Polynices and his cohorts, nonetheless the Thebes remains unconquered. Creon is the younger brother to queen Jocasta. In the Oedipus Rex, Lauis the previous king of Thebes had gone to consult the oracle and left the crown at the hands of Creon. However during the absence of King Laius, Sphinx came and attacked Thebes. When the death of Laius was announced, Creon offered Jocasta and the Throne to anyone who could free Thebes from Sphinx. Oedipus was able to answer the riddle of Sphinx and ends up marrying Jocasta and at the same time became the King. Throughout the play as Oedipus was coming closer to unearthing the truth about himself, Creon is constantly close with him (Gibert 41). Oedipus becomes suspicious and accuses Creon of plotting to kill him, but Creon is quick to refute those claims, saying that he was not interested in the throne and therefore there was need for him to want to kill Oedipus. Nevertheless, when the truth about Oedipus and Jocasta finally comes out, Oedipus goes on an exile, and Creon is granting his wish to be given the thrown instead. In Antigone, Creon is still the ruler of Thebes. The Two Oedipus sons, Eteocles and Polynices, were sharing the thrown together until they began quarreling and Eteocles expels his brother from the palace. According to Sophocles, the two brothers had agreed to alternate the thrown between them yearly. Eteocles re...