Oedipus The King: Moral Responsibility

Oedipus Rex written by a tragic Greek playwright named Sophocles, is considered one of the world’s most significant tragedies. This play incorporates many themes such as the quest for identity, the abuse of power, and the nature of moral responsibility which become apparent as the dramatic work goes on.
Oedipus the main character, begins seeking justice for Thebes and then sets about to seek his own identity. Before he was born, an oracle warned his parents, Laius and Jocasta, that a curse has been set upon their son at birth, and that he is destined to marry his mother and kill his father. With an end goal to keep away from their destiny, his parents left the infant on the mountain to die. He did not die however, and a royal couple, Polybus

Oedipus the king requests his brother in law Creon to go to Apollo’s home to ask the oracle how to end the sickness. He returns with good news: after the murderer of the former king Laius is found, Thebes will be cured. Oedipus swears he will locate the killer and expel him. He

Oedipus and Creon both use their power to their advantage. They decline to trade off or to humble themselves before others. They willfully decline different characters the privilege to express opinions unique in relation to their own, and they abuse their power to compel others to acknowledge their perspectives. Oedipus is so haughty and self-assured that he even challenges the gods. This leads straightforwardly to his downfall, and he is severely punished. When Oedipus forces a blind prophet named Teiresias to inform him of the truth, he says, “If Creon, whom I trusted, Creon my friend, for this great office which the city once put in my hands unsought-if for this power Creon desires in secret to destroy me!” Here, he gets irrationally angry and makes accusations against Creon. Oedipus threatened Teiresias with death, when Teiresias cautioned him that he would not want to learn the truth. Towards the end of the play, Oedipus expresses that he is still apprehensive of whatever remains of the oracle’s prophecy: that he will wed his mother. The messenger tells him that he should not worry since Polybus was not his real father and Merope is not his mother either. Staggered, Oedipus asks him how he came to know this. When the messenger refuses to answer, Oedipus says, “Come, speak plainly, or it will go hard on you… you will die now unless you speak the truth” and threatens him with torture because he