Oedipus Rex: A Powerful Tragedy by Sophocles

Hareshwar Roy,
Oedipus Rex: A Powerful Tragedy

Oedipus Rex is a very powerful tragedy by Sophocles. It tells the story of the downfall of Oedipus, a good and kind king. The story is that in the ancient Greek there was a city named Thebes. A terrible plague was sweeping there. The crops were dying. People were getting sick and dying. Everywhere there was helplessness. There was no way to stop it. For solution of this problem the people of Thebes looked to their kind and clever king, Oedipus. They believed he could save them just as he had once saved the city from a monster called the Sphinx by answering a difficult riddle. Oedipus loved his people dearly. He promised them that he would do everything he could to find the cause of the plague and end the suffering.

Oedipus has a brother-in-law named Creon. He advises him to visit the Oracle of Delphi. It was a place where people used to go to get advice from the gods. The Oracle's advice is that the plague will end only when the murderer of the previous king, Laius, is found and punished. The killer is living in Thebes and the city is paying for his crime. Determined to find the killer, Oedipus stands before his people and announces a decree. He promises to find and exile or kill the murderer of King Laius, no matter who he is. He even curses the killer, unknowingly cursing himself in the process. To help him, Oedipus calls for the blind prophet Tiresias. Tiresias is a fellow who knows the secrets of the gods. At first, Tiresias refuses to speak. He claims that the truth is too painful. Oedipus becomes very angry. In his anger he accuses him of being part of the murder plot. At this Tiresias finally reveals the shocking truth. He says, 'You are the murderer you are seeking.' Oedipus is furious and does not believe him. He thinks Tiresias and Creon are plotting against him to usurp his throne.

The mystery begins to unravel when a messenger arrives from a city called Corinth. The messenger comes to inform Oedipus that his father, the king of Corinth, has died. This is good news but Oedipus is still worried about that prophecy in which it was prophesized that one day he would kill his father and marry his mother. The messenger attempts to comfort him. He says to Oedipus that he has nothing to worry about. He reveals that Oedipus was not the king's biological son but a baby found and adopted by the king and queen of Corinth.

This news was shocking for Jocasta, the wife of Oedipus. It was she who used to be the wife of the previous king, Laius. She recalls that a long time ago a prophecy was made to her husband, Laius. It was prophesised that he would be killed by his own son. To prevent this, they gave their baby to a servant to abandon on a mountain. The messenger from Corinth reveals that he was the one who was given the baby. But instead of abandoning him, he gave the baby to the king of Corinth.
Location: B-37, City Homes Colony, Jawahar Nagar Satna, Madhya Pradesh, India
Currently Dr. Roy is working as Professor of English at Govt. P.G. College Satna, Madhya Pradesh. He is the author of the following books: (1) Diasporic Articulation in the Novels of M.G. Vassanji (2) A Study of M.G. Vassanji 's Novels (3) Varieties of Indianity in the Works of M.G. Vassanji & Rohinton Mistry (4)Diaspora & Indian Diaspora: A Brief Study (5) Short Notes of English Literature - I (6) Short Notes of English Literature - II (7) हमार पहचान ह भोजपुरी - भोजपुरी कविता संकलन (8) हमरा प्यार हो गइल - भोजपुरी गज़ल संकलन (9) भोजपुरी कविताएँ

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