Introduction
King Oedipus is a tragic play written by Sophocles. It reflects several themes in the story, including Fate and Free will (the unavoidable prophecy that cause tragedy in the story); Shame and Guilt (both Oedipus and Jocasta took the easy way out by becoming blind and seeking death; to avoid facing the truth and taking responsibility for their actions); and Finding out the truth (Oedipus determination to find the murder leads to his own destruction). In the play, King Oedipus was a noble king that seeks to help his citizens of Thebes to find the murderer of King Laius to stop the plague. However, the search for the murderer slowly became a tragic for King Oedipus after he found out that he was the murderer. Throughout the story of King Oedipus, Sophocles is using god as the main subject for Oedipus fate to be predestined. However, King Oedipus fate and this tragedy can be prevented if the events take place in the story are rectified or the characters in the story responded differently to different situation.
First selected event in the play
In one of the event in the play, Queen Jocasta of Thebes gave birth to a baby boy who was later named Oedipus by the adopted parents, King and Queen of Corinth. King Laius and Queen Jocasta of Thebes was warned by the Oracle that their son will murder his father and marry his mother once he grows up. To thwart the prophecy, Jocasta abandoned the child on top of a mountain to die but was unfortunately rescued by a shepherd.