Sophocles- Oedipus Rex

Oedipus Rex typically presents a myth and philosophy of gods and their prophecies. Oedipus Rex, the Ancient Greek play written by Sophocles in the 5th century B.C., is a typical example of a Greek tragedy. Sophocles, the author, was born about 495 B.C. and is one of the three Greek Tragedians; the writers of Greek tragedies. He first achieved recognition at age 28 in Athens. He composed the Theban Trilogy, which is comprised of Oedipus Rex, Oedipus at Colonus, and Antigone, along with countless other works, though only seven works survive. The play is a Greek tragedy (Frank, 5-6); a serious drama featuring a noble, dignified main character who strives to achieve something and is ultimately defeated because of his tragic flaw, pride. Oedipus Rex was written during the Greek Golden Age and was first performed in 406 B.C. It took advantage of the improvements in theatrical performances. Oedipus Rex is an example of a classical Greek tragedy, featuring a hero, Oedipus, who is plagued by his tragic flaw, pride, a central theme, and dramatic irony. (Fitts, Fitzgerald, 35-78)

Sophocles, the author of Oedipus Rex, was one of the greatest Greek writers; who wrote many award-winning tragedies and stories. He wrote Oedipus Rex to expand on his Theban Trilogy and to try to win competitions in the Festival of Dionysus. The theme of the play, the quest for identity, relates to a typical Greek tragedy because it shows a hero who, in his quest to discover his identity, discovers how pride and prophecy can affect his life (Frank, 5-6). Oedipus discovers the truth behind a prophecy made by prophet of Delphi, which says that he would ultimately murder his father and marry his mother. He denies the prophecy and runs away to Thebes to try to hide from the prophecy, where he marries the queen, whose husband was murdered. Oedipus seeks his true identity throughout the play (Fitts, Fitzgerald, 35-78). When he eventually discovers that the queen, Jocasta, is his mother, he realizes that the prophecy was true after all and he just ran back to his real home.

In Oedipus Rex, his father Laius decides to kill Oedipus at birth, and his mother's scorn for Apollo and his prophecies is traceable to this terrible event. She defies and rejects Apollo and his priests for the sake of Oedipus, nursing a lifelong contempt for them. Later she unknowingly marries her son. ...