Oedipus

Oedipus In Sophocles,’ Oedipus the King, Oedipus introduces himself by saying “I Oedipus, whom all men call the great.” (8) Oedipus was a “great” man, but he also was cursed. He was cursed by the almighty god, Apollo, but he was too arrogant to believe the curse would be fulfilled. This story questions the everlasting mystery of “fate versus free will.” I will attempt to explain how Apollo’s curse, as well as Oedipus’ actions, ruined Oedipus’ life. Oedipus was cursed before he was born. He was cursed because Apollo thought Laius, Oedipus’ father, and his family, brought homosexuality to Greece. The curse said that Laius and his wife, Jocasta, would have a baby, and that baby would grow up and kill his father and marry his mother. When Laius and Jocasta heard this they gave Oedipus to a shepherd to leave on the top of a hill to die. The shepherd could not do this, so he gave Oedipus to another shepherd. That shepherd then gave Oedipus to the king and queen of Corinth, Polybus and Merope. When Oedipus grew older, an oracle told him about the curse. Oedipus did not want anything to happen to Polybus and Merope; he thought they oedipus, shepherd, father, curse, laius, man, apollo, told, polybus, out, king, killed, jocasta, carriage, blight, thought, teiresias, oedipus’, gave, said, one, kill, grew, god, cursed, city, truth, thebes, temper, move, messenger, merope, men, life, led, himself