The Oedipus Cycle, Essay Example

In literature, especially ancient texts, there is nothing greater than the battle of good and evil. Since they’re split like this there then arises a hero and a villain. In most Greek plays the hero is typically a tragic hero: this is true of Oedipus. Oedipus can be argued to not be in control of his own fate because the gods were meddlesome in his life. It can then said to be Oedipus’ fate to be a tragic hero because the gods made sure that his life was the way it was (gods and fate can almost be interchangeable terms in ancient Greek plays).

Oedipus’ ego is also a part of his downfall. He believes that he is the best and defeats the sphinx’s riddle and then lays claim to the kingdom. Everything that Oedipus is, is thanks to the gods. They told his biological father that his son would some day grow up and kill him, sleep with his mother and then become king. Because of this news Oepidus’ father leaves him in the wilderness to die in order to curtail any of these events from happening. This sets off a chain of events that become exactly what the gods said would happen (here, gods means the Oracle of Delphi; or the translator of the advice of the gods/fate). In seeking to escape fate, Oedipus’ father makes sure that exactly what the gods said would happen, happens. There doesn’t seem to be a conscious choice of anything for Oedipus, merely a response to his environment; an environment that was made up thanks to fate/gods/Oracle of Delphi.

Work Cited

Sophocles.  (1977).  The Oedipus Cycle.  Harcourt Inc. Florida. Print.