Freedom of choice oedipus the king

Peter and the Starcatcher. Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival: The Fortress of Solitude.

The Folk Tale We don't know whether there was a historical Oedipus. Laius and Jocasta were king and queen of Thebes, a town in Greece. One day, they had a baby boy. An oracle prophesied that the boy would grow up and kill his father and marry his mother.

To thwart the prophecy, Laius and Jocasta decided to kill their baby. In those days, it was usual to leave an unwanted or defective baby in the wilderness. Laius and Jocasta did this.

To be extra-sure, they pierced his little feet and tied them together. Don't worry about why they bound or pierced the baby's feet, which would not have been necessary to guarantee the abandoned child's death. It may have been introduced to explain the hero's name.

It also helps later to confirm Oedipus's true identity. A kindly shepherd found the baby. He gave the baby to a friend, who took it to Corinth, another town. Corinth reappears in the New Testament.

The king and queen of Corinth couldn't have a baby of their own. So they adopted the foundling. Nobody ever told little Oedipus that his mother was never pregnant.

SparkNotes: The Oedipus Plays: A+ Student Essay

One day, after he had grown up, a drunk mentioned his being adopted. Oedipus questioned his parents, but they denied it. Oedipus visited various oracles to find out whether he was really adopted.

All the oracles told him instead that he would kill his father and marry his mother. None of this makes much sense. Again, don't worry about it. This is a folk tale.

To thwart the oracles, Oedipus left Corinth permanently. Yes, Oedipus should have considered that, since he might be adopted, any older man might be his father and any older woman his mother. But this is a folk tale. Travelling the roads, Oedipus got into a traffic squabble and killed a stranger who unknown to him was King Laius.

In one version, there was a dispute over right-of-way on a bridge. In those days, high rank got to go first, Oedipus identified himself as heir to the throne of Corinth, and for some reason again, don't worry about it Laius's people simply attacked instead of explaining that he was king of Thebes.

Some versions say that the rude Laius drove over Oedipus's sore foot, making him lose his temper.How The Shakespeare Theatre’s David Leong turns combat into comedy. Enjoying "Oedipus the King", by Sophocles Ed Friedlander MD [email protected] This website collects no information.

If you e-mail me, neither your e-mail address nor any other information will ever be passed on to any third party, unless required by law. Oedipus is set-up to suffer. There's no way around it. After all, this is a tragedy, not a comedy, romance, or myth.

Oedipus must suffer.

Home Oedipus Rex or Oedipus the King Q & A What role does Freedom, choice, Oedipus Rex or Oedipus the King What role does Freedom, choice, & responsibility have in the play?

Do they have any role? What is does freedom mean to us moderns? How much control do you really have over the choices you make? The gratitude of the Thebans led them to anoint Oedipus as their king. Oedipus was also given Laius' widow, Jocasta (who was also his mother), as his wife.

Over the years, Oedipus and Jocasta had four Applied to Human Freedom. Struggling with themes such as Fate and Free Will in Sophocles's Oedipus the King? We've got the quick and easy lowdown on it here.