How the antagonist affects reading Oedipus and play possibilities

Fighting Against Destiny

Oedipus Rex is a Greek tragedy in which Oedipus and Thebes are punished for the sins committed by Oedipus' father, Laius. Written by Sophocles and first performed in 429 BCE, it is the second play produced in Sophocles' Theban plays but comes first in the chronology. In the play, it appears as though much of the issues plaguing Thebes have been precipitated by Oedipus' ascension to the throne. Laius, Creon, divine powers, and Oedipus contribute to the plague that infects the well-being of Thebes.

Greek tragedy is meant to reaffirm that life is worth living and are about people in conflict with the universe. Actions in Greek tragedies arise from inner conflict and these actions must arouse pity and fear; it is also dictated in tragedies that the hero, who is good yet not perfect, must fall. Furthermore, the audience must experience catharsis once the events have transpired and the hero must be left to face the world alone ("Greek Theatre History Notes," 2011).

Throughout much of the play, Oedipus tries to figure out why his city is being plagued, sending his brother-in-law, Creon, to consult an oracle. Upon Creon's return, and subsequent consultation with Tiresias, the origin of the curse upon the Theban peoples is revealed. The plague upon Thebes has inflicted sickness, barrenness, and infertility among the people, livestock, and agriculture (Sophocles, 1991). In an ironic turn of events, the city may be freed of its plague if Laius' murderer is either executed or banished from the city. Due to Oedipus' convoluted parentage, he is unaware of his role in the dilemma. It had been prophesized that Laius would be killed by his son and that his son would subsequently marry his own mother and have children with her. In order to prevent these events from transpiring, Laius, acting out of fear, attempts to commit infanticide by pinning his son's feet and abandoning him on a mountain so that he may die of exposure. A shepherd found Oedipus and unable to take care of him, gave him up to King Polybus and Queen Merope of Corinth. Oedipus, also made aware of this prophecy and unwilling to put his parents in danger, leaves Corinth. Because he was not their natural child, he was ignorant to the fact that he did not pose a threat to them.

Laius brought the curse upon himself and his people because of events that occurred before he was king. According to tradition, Laius was once hired to be the tutor of Chrysippus, a divine hero of Elis in the Peloponnesus. Chrysippus was the bastard son of King Pelops and the nymph, Axioche. While on his way to the Nemean Games in which he was preparing to compete, Chrysippus was sequestered to Thebes by Laius where he was subsequently raped by the future king. Due to these events, Laius, his family, and Thebes are punished by the gods (Gantz, 1993).

As in many Greek tragedies, divine powers play a role in the actions that transpire and motivate characters to action. The actions of the gods in Oedipus are motivated by Laius' actions in Peloponnesus. In many cases, the gods do not interfere with the lives of the characters, rather they prophesize what will occur in the future. Paradoxically, all attempts made to avoid the fulfillment of their prophecies set their prophecies in motion. It is important to note that the full prophecies were not divulged to Laius or Oedipus. Each of the two rulers received a fragment of the prophecy; Laius was only told that "it was his fate that he should die a victim/at the hands of his own son" whereas Oedipus is told that he is "fated to lay with [his] mother/and to show to daylight an accursed breed/which men will not endure, and [he] was doomed/to be murderer of the father that begot [him]" thus prompting him to flee Corinth (Sophocles, 1991). These divine powers also place a curse on Thebes that can only be remedied by finding Laius' murderer. The Sphinx, a supernatural being, also played a major role in Oedipus' ascension to the Theban throne. The Sphinx previously stood watch over the gates of Thebes, killing anyone that could not answer her riddle. If the riddle was answered correctly, the Sphinx, would in turn, kill herself. This Sphinx plagued Thebes after Laius' death devastating the city so much so that Creon offered his widowed sister's, Jocasta's, hand in marriage as well as the Theban throne to anyone that could solve the Sphinx's riddle. The riddle asked was "What goes on four legs in the morning, on two legs at noon, and on three legs in the evening" (Loy, 2002)? Oedipus was successful in answering the Sphinx's riddle and thus ascended to the throne, fulfilling the prophecy that he would murder his father and marry his mother.

Creon easily offered up the throne and his sister's hand in marriage in order to save Thebes, but his actions thereafter may be seen as problematic. Creon, unwilling to relinquish complete power and claim to the throne, claims to not want to usurp Oedipus, but jumps on the chance to do so when given the opportunity. Though Creon offered the Theban throne as a prize for destroying the Sphinx, he did no relinquish his claim to the throne. Creon that he considers himself an equal to the King and Queen makes this clear to Oedipus; Creon asks of Oedipus, "And make I not a third, equal with you" (Sophocles, 1991)? Creon does grant Oedipus his request and banishes him from the city thus ending the plague that has so long afflicted Thebes.