King Oedipus Rex and the city of Thebes

King Oedipus Rex and the city of Thebes

What kind of king is Oedipus in the beginning of the play?

The appearance of Oedipus in the preamble of the play appears that of a person that has been maintaining a strong and firm personality, but has the heart of a pious, sorrowful and weak man. Just as he mentions:

'My children, latest generation born from Cadmus,      why are you sitting here with wreathed sticks      in supplication to me, while the city      fills with incense, chants, and cries of pain'

Even though the exterior of the individual displays traits ...