... of a bird. I just think it's weird that someone would actually make up a story with something like the Sphinx in it. It sounds like something out of a science fiction story, and I just don't like science fiction. Next, why did Oedipus gouge his eyes out? I understand why Oedipus would do something so drastic in the instant he learned the foul deeds he committed, but I thought ... tried to run him off the road. He killed them in self-defense, except for one. Little did Oedipus know he had just killed his real father who had abandoned him at birth. -------------------------- Oedipus conti...

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• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... intelligence. These traits allows him to solve the riddle of the Sphinx that led to him becoming king. Ironically, it is these traits that cause Oedipus" downfall. Which eventually leads to Iokaste's suicide and Oedipus" self-inflicted blindness. Oedipus was without doubt a wise man, for he had solved the riddle of the Sphinx and saved Thebes. The priest verbalizes his and the citizens of Thebes ... " respect of Oedipus" intellect with his request, "You are not one of the immortal ... me and never doubt that I will help you in every way I can ..." (974). Oedipus believes that he can do ...

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• Grade Level: High School

... Sphinx, becoming King of Thebes, and starting a family with his new Queen Jocasta sounds like a life of a blessed man. A man named Oedipus whose life is not all it appears to be. As a plague comes upon the city, Oedipus" past is revealed and his life takes a quick downfall that earns him the title of a Tragic Hero. Oedipus ... he knew it. After leaving Corinth, Oedipus wanders the land to find himself in the town of Thebes. Here his mind pays off when he solves the Riddle of the Sphinx that took many lives before him. In one of his rages he says, "I stopped the Sphinx! With no help from ...

• Word Count: 925
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• Grade Level: High School

... search for a new home, he got into some trouble. Oedipus mistakenly killed an old, which turned out to be his father. From the altercation he headed for the city of Thebes. As Oedipus journeyed to Thebes he came upon the Sphinx. The Sphinx told him if he answered the riddle correctly he could ... pass, but if answered wrong the Sphinx would eat him. Oedipus quickly answered the question and the Sphinx died. Soon the city was amazed by his ... conquest and made him the new king who just happened to be Laius's thrown. With king Laius's thrown, Oedipus married his mother Jocasta. Oedipus r...

• Word Count: 493
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• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... a plague. The image of darkness is represented by this plague. In line 143 of the play Oedipus saysthen once more must I bring what is light to dark?. He saysonce more? referring to the Sphinx. The Sphinx is also another representation of darkness. Oedipus brought Thebes back to light when he solved the Sphinx riddle. The image of light and darkness can also be seen when ... Oedipus was born. The birth of a new life is an image of light. However Jocasta knew the prophecy ... the truth about himself he physically blinds himself in order for him not tosee? the truth. Knowledge and ignora...

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... him to be a "mortal god" who liberated them from the Sphinx (962). Oedipus is not only superior because of his social status, but also because he is smart ("Classic Note"). He was the only one who could outwit the Sphinx. Oedipus is arrogant; he refuses to belief the words of fate, which ... have been told to him many times. Oedipus's past helped in forming his character. He was abandoned by Laius and Jocasta after they ... leaves Corinth to prevent harming Polybos and Merope. By looking at his past, the reader can tell that Oedipus was destined to fail. Oedipus has mixed relationships...

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• Grade Level: High School

... . Being known as the King of Thebes that had saved the town from a killer sphinx did more than just boost his ego, it made him King. With the sudden fame and glory Oedipus became a person of high status that was admired and envied by many of the townspeople. Oedipus the King can be seen as a tragic hero which is defined as a person of ... Thebes. Thinking he was born to the King and Queen of Cornith, Oedipus was the future heir of the throne. This thought alone made Oedipus feel superior and more noble than the regular townsman. The second reason that Oedipus was considered of high statu...

• Word Count: 783
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... possesses these traits is why he was able to solve the riddle of the Sphinx and become the ruler of Thebes. Ironically, it is these same qualities that lead Oedipus, as the Oracle prophesied, to his own doom, which ultimately led to Iokaste's suicide and Oedipus" self-inflicted blindness. Oedipus was obviously a wise man because he solved the riddle and saved the city of ... bring what is dark to life"(line 130). This reply is arrogant but he did solve the riddle of the Sphinx when no one else could. Unfortunately his brilliant mind led him to realize that it was he who killed his fathe...

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• Grade Level: High School

... In his flight he makes the fated mistake of killing a man who he later finds out is his real father. In Thebes, Oedipus solves the riddle of the Sphinx, becomes king, blind to the fact that he has killed the previous one, and marries Jocasta. Blind to his past and to the ... power of prophecies, Oedipus killed a man and married a woman that was the exact age to be his mother. Little did he know that this was not a mere coincidence. Oedipus ... fact been fulfilled. "I stand revealed at last-cursed in my birth, cursed in marriage, cursed in the lives I cut down with these hands!" (Oedipus...

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• Grade Level: High School

... , therefore, his two main characteristics, being pride and blindness, ultimately lead to his downfall. Pride is a sense of one's own proper dignity or value. Oedipus is very well spoken. His words are confident and strong. He stands tall and upright and is placed in the center of the action and his people look ... out the truth and bring freedom to the people of Thebes. He does not want to lose the respect or the power his people have given him. Oedipus is a wise character that seems to be too smart for his own good. His own prideful quest for the truth ultimately leads to his demise. .....

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• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... the age of fifteen and has just heard about his horrendous prophecy: that he will kill his father and marry his mother. When he hears this, Oedipus believes he can out think the gods, and make sure his prophecy won't come true. His arrogant self runs away from "home," absolutely convinced he ... has stumped the gods. Another example of Oedipus" overpowering arrogance is when he has beaten the Sphinx and her riddle. He now feels that he is the best in the entire city and even thinks of himself as a god. ... The reader can tell this when Oedipus speaks to the citizens of Thebes, referrin...

• Word Count: 1090
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• Grade Level: High School

... leader named Oedipus gained ruler of Thebes by answering this Riddle of Sphinx; what has four legs in the morning, two at noon, and three at night? Oedipus replies, Man (who crawls on all fours as a baby, walks upright later, and needs a walking stick in old age). Since Oedipus was the ... redeemed his village; admitted and accepted his mistakes and failures. Through these characters, he reflects a good man. In Sophocles' play, "Oedipus the King, Oedipus' village admired him, for he liberated his people from previous misfortunes. "You came and by your coming saved our city, freed us .....

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• Grade Level: High School

... son in the mountains, and never look back. After a series of strange events, Oedipus ends up in Thebes, where he is crowned King after defeating the Sphinx. Jocasta's brother Creon brings an old blind prophet named Teiresias to Thebes with an interesting prophecy. Oedipus' past slowly unfolds, and finally both Oedipus and Jocasta learn the horrible truth. Jocasta runs into the house and hangs ... end, and it defines the tragedy of his life. Oedipus can also be defined as a classic example of a tragic hero. Oedipus was a very admirable man with distinguishing characteristics. He saved th...

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... words come true. / But I soon came to the exact location / where, as you tell of it, the king was killed" (Sophocles 799-804). Oedipus was not a man of immoral values, he was simply chosen by the gods to have a horrible fate and there was nothing he could do about it. ... Instead of keeping it a secret, he exiled himself and gauged his eyes out. Another example of Oedipus showing great morals was when he saved the city of Thebes by solving the riddle from the sphinx. This was an amazing feat which none other could accomplish. One of the people who praised ... Oedipus was the priest. He...

• Word Count: 854
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• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... in Thebes believing their son to be dead. Unfortunately, Hera sends a drought associated with a sphinx to bedevil Thebes. A desperate Laios travels back to the Delphic Oracle for a reading. Meanwhile, back in Corinth, Oedipus grows to manhood believing Polybos and Merope (the King and Queen of Corinth) are his real ... a fit of rage. Thus, he has unwittingly fulfilled the first half of the prophecy. Traveling on to Thebes, Oedipus saves the city from the drought by solving the riddle of the sphinx. Declared the new King, he marries the widowed Queen (Locaste) - his mother. Thus, he has u...

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... I am also going to compare and contrast their characters. In regards to the heroic code, they both fulfill the requirements that would make them heroes. Oedipus was the king of Thebes, whose world was turned upside down with the revelation of a few certain events. His daughter, Antigone, also went through a ... string of events that led to her untimely demise as well. Oedipus was a confident king who was revered for solving the riddle of the Sphinx. After he saved his land from the curse of the Sphinx, there was a murder case that was brought to his attention. He was told that ... the ...

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... however, and brought to Corinth where the royal family adopts him; again he becomes a Prince. After killing Laios and defeating the Sphinx he becomes the king of Thebes. After the king of Corinth dies, Oedipus becomes king of Corinth also. If Oedipus were any higher on the social ladder he would probably be mistaken for one of the Gods. Taking one step back ... , Oedipus makes two major mistakes, his hamartia. His first error in judgment is killing Laios. Oedipus is an exceedingly arrogant man, and this fatal flaw causes him to kill the king of Thebes. Because the king has been killed an...

• Word Count: 468
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• Grade Level: High School

... magnitude when he kills a man, who was actually his father and king of Thebes, and arrogantly defeated the infamous Sphinx. After settling in Thebes and becoming king, Oedipus hired a prophet named Teiresias to find Laius's killer but became furious when he prophesies that Oedipus was the true murderer of his father, and that he is his wife's son and that he will leave ... develop the plot in the story and make it a complete tragedy. The main character, Oedipus, had some undesirable flaws as well as some good characteristics. Oedipus had a flaring temper that ruined his life. Oedipus wa...

• Word Count: 410
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... magnitude when he kills a man, who was actually his father and king of Thebes, and arrogantly defeated the infamous Sphinx. After settling in Thebes and becoming king, Oedipus hired a prophet named Teiresias to find Laius's killer but became furious when he prophesies that Oedipus was the true murderer of his father, and that he is his wife's son and that he will leave ... develop the plot in the story and make it a complete tragedy. The main character, Oedipus, had some undesirable flaws as well as some good characteristics. Oedipus had a flaring temper that ruined his life. Oedipus wa...

• Word Count: 410
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... and he knows it. After leaving Corinth, Oedipus wanders the land to find himself in the town of Thebes. Here his mind pays off when he solves the Riddle of the Sphinx that took many lives before him. In one of his rages he says, "I stopped the Sphinx! With no help from the birds, the ... flight of my own intelligence hit the mark." (page 1301, lines 452-453). His bright mind later acts as the downfall for Oedipus as he puts together the pieces of his own past and the murder ... ultimately leads to their demise. The King's flaw is his pompous, arrogant attitude that he uses to place him...

• Word Count: 939
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... not need the gods and that he can live on free will alone; he is sadly mistaken. At the close of the Greek tragedy Oedipus The King by Sophocles, Oedipus himself is brought to the realization that everything that is supposed to happen will happen in the end. He uses his own free will and ... gets into an argument with an old man, Laius, and ends up killing the old man and his servants. A high point then comes. He reaches the Sphinx and correctly solves the riddle which makes him King of Thebes. If he had not been searching for intellect and sense of civic responsibility, he would have ne...

• Word Count: 564
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... mothers son!" even despite of the oracles prophesy (621). Also, he impudently belittles the gods by claiming his intelligence alone freed the people from the sphinx "With no help from the birds" (606). By contemptuously announcing, "You pray to the gods? Let me grant your prayers," Oedipus implies he feels superlative to the Gods, which sets him up for doom (606). Because ... broken. Through his demonstration of superior intellect, bravery, and his unselfish sacrifice for his country Oedipus is the Greeks model for the greatness that humans can achieve. Because of his intellect Oedipus ...

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• Grade Level: High School

... actions brought him to downfall, his arrogance was created by his fate. Oedipus" fate gave him opportunities to develop his arrogance. For example, fate brought Oedipus to Thebes and made him the only one capable of solving the riddle of the Sphinx. This fame and acclaim brought by fate, developed Oedipus" tragic flaw, and as a result, came his downfall. Therefore, the actions and decisions ... made by Oedipus are not culpable for his tragic destiny; his fate is responsible ... . Regardless of what Oedipus attempts to perform; his fate does not permit him to change ... ...

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... and the standards of being in a tragic situation by his test and by the fact that in the end he suffers physical deterioration and mental enlightenment. Firstly, Oedipus" status meets that of a tragic hero. A tragic hero is defined as an exemplar, a paragon, and a light bearer. The tragic hero must be ... than the average character in the play. He must be above the community in some way. Oedipus passes this requirement with ease for he was a hero and held a revered position within his society. He sold the Sphinx's riddle and became the King of Thebes. He was not any ordinary king however...

• Word Count: 942
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• Grade Level: High School

... . Finding out that the only way to rid Thebes of the disease is to rid Thebes of the man who killed King Laius, the previous ruler, Oedipus promises to do this as the matter was never resolved. He is also afraid that the culprit (unknowingly being himself) might attack him next. As ... father and marry his mother was not true, but then the messenger also relates the story that Polybus and Merope are not Oedipus' true parents. Jocasta, Oedipus' mother and wife, sees that Oedipus is troubled. She tries to stop his misery with what she knows. But everything becomes more complicated. With he...

• Word Count: 1132
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School