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How Does Oedipus Kill His Father

420 Words2 Pages

Dau Dau
Mrs. Fleming
Literature
11 February 2018
Oedipus Rex
In the story “Oedipus rex” by Sophocles, a man named Oedipus is trying to escape the fate.
Oedipus hears a rumor from his friend that Polybus and Merope aren’t his real parents and that Jocasta and Laius of Thebes are his biological parents. Spiteful of what he’s been told he doesn't believe his friend. He is told that one day he will kill his father, believing that Polybus is his real father he tries to avoid killing him.

Trying to avoid killing his father Oedipus leaves Corinth and heads to Thebes. On the way to Thebes he encounters travelers who “Harass” him, He killed all the guards and including the King of Thebes, His father. Once he gets to the City of Thebes He marries a woman named Jocasta whom is the queen of …show more content…

Oedipus hears a rumor that he killed his father, He thinks that this is one of Creon's plan to overthrow him. Jocasta the biological mother of Oedipus (Also his wife) tells Oedipus that Prophecies are not always true She goes on to tell him that she once had a child with Laius, and Apollo the god of light told them that his child would one day grow up and kill his father then married his mother. By that point Oedipus was scared because of the Prophecy told to him when he was younger. He replied to Jocasta "As I listen, my queen, my thoughts went reaching out and touched on memories that make me shudder...” As soon as Jocasta finds out that Oedipus killed Laius and that Oedipus is her son she runs into the palace. She killed herself and is soon found dead. Oedipus Takes out his eyes of his own free will. “You, you'll see no more the pain I suffered, all the pain I caused! Too long you looked at the ones you never should have seen, blind to the

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Background Information: In Oedipus the King, by Sophocles, Oedipus was told that he would kill his father Laius and marry his mother Jocasta. However, Oedipus doesn’t believe that he killed Laius but was blind to the truth for him accept it which led to his demise. 3.Thesis Statement:

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Jocasta finds out that Oedipus is also her son. When she found out about Oedipus being her child, Jocasta “ ‘broken in through the gates, dashing past us, frantic, whipped to fury, ripping her hair out with both hands--straight to her rooms she rushed, flinging herself across the bridal-bed. . .’ “ (315). Jocasta dashes into her room because she is frighten to the fact that Oedipus is her son. Jocasta not accepting that Oedipus is her son and husband means that she is hiding from the truth.

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Oedipus’s search to find Laius’s murderer, adverse to the other characters’ advice, resulted in Jocasta’s death, Oedipus’s wife and mother. Oedipus begs Tiresias to reveal who Laius’s murderer is, but Tiresias answers only that he knows the truth but wishes he did not. Puzzled at first, then angry, Oedipus insists that Tiresias tells Thebes what he knows.

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He told Tiresias that he was lying and was just trying to help Ceron become ruler. Oedipus also had too much pride this also contributed to his downfall. He was telling the people that they would find the murderer and have him exiled. He was too blind to see that he killed the king.

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The Queen, Jacosta, Oedipus’ wife tells him not to believe in the prophet, because they’ve been wrong before, she then tells Oedipus about how she and King Laius had a son who was prophesied to kill Laius and sleep with her but since the child was supposedly dead the prophecy couldn’t be true. Oedipus becomes a bit weary because as a child an old man told him he was adopted and that one day he’d kill his real father and sleep with his mother, Oedipus did also kill a man at a crossroads which sounded like the way Laius died. Oedipus continued questioning the messenger and found out that he was the man everyone spoke of and Jacosta then comes to the realization that Oedipus is her son and kills herself.

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