Sophocles was one of the greatest playwrights of antiquity, and this of course is not without reason. In his play Oedipus Rex, Sophocles uses a catastrophic tale to both teach and tell us that no matter what we do, our fate cannot be avoided. Oedipus is the wisest mortal man in Thebes, so it is up to him to find out who killed Laios, a fact unknown to him though, is that he is the murderer of the ex-king Laios. Both his hot temper and the endless pursuit of truth will lead Oedipus into a sticky situation. In order to find the killer of the old king and save his city, Oedipus will learn things about himself he wishes he never had, and in the process fulfill an old prophecy. While Oedipus may have been raised by mere Shepards, that doesn't not …show more content…
The Queen who was Laios' wife, is also Oedipus's mother, who he will marry as the new king of Thebes and contribute even more to his eventual downfall and death. Oedipus was taught to believe his parents were Polybus and Merope, when he hears word that those may not be his parents he decides he must know the answer. Oedipus decides to go to Thebes and find the truth of his origin. During the journey he ends up fulfilling an earlier prophecy that he would kill his father. Later on in the plat, Oedipus decides he must find the truth about who killed king Laios and ironically enough it is he who killed the king. Oedipus also married the kings wife who turns out to be his mom. So even with everything they did to change it, everyone fell victim to Destiny. Although Oedipus was the smartest man in his city, he still had certain tragic flaws that would eventually least to his own demise. Trying to trick Destiny still ended is catastrophe for everyone involved. The most prevalent pitfalls we're Oedipus's hot temper, and he seek for the truth. Sophocles' famous tale teaches a classic lesson and will remain to teach for thousands of