Oedipus the King Oedipuss Submission to the Gods Essay

Oedipuss Submission to the Gods In ancient Greece, plays were more then simply a form of entertainment. Athenian drama was supported and financed by the state. (...)Greek theater was directed at the moral and political education of the community. (Kennedy and Gioia, pgs 1357-1363) Sophocles understood this, and dissipated any pollyanic view of society by presenting us with plays that were intended to teach. Sophocless Oedipus the King issued a warning for those who foolishly believed that they could challenge the forces of nature. Sophocles was known for presenting characters that are fluid not static. So it should come as no surprise that the Oedipus the reader encounters at the outset of the play, an extraordinary leader, but†¦show more content†¦Upon learning of this prophesy, Oedipus, prince of Corinth, official son of King Polybus and queen Merope, left the city where he was raised, convinced he could be the master of his own fate and circumvent the will of the gods. Oedipuss confidence as a rul er, and pride in his own abilities, is made clear during the first half of the play. The play starts off with a procession of priests who are carrying branches wound in wool and laying them on the alter that is located in front of the royal house of Thebes and then supplicating themselves before it. A plague has struck Thebes killing their crops and cattle and causing the women of Thebes to miscarry. When Oedipus enters, he expresses sincere concern for his people and their plight, yet immediately turns their attention away from the gods and onto himself by stating Here I am myself--you all know me, the world knows my fame: I am Oedipus. (Oedipus, pgs 1366 -1367) (It is important not to think of the gods in Greek tragedies in the theological sense, but rather consider them to be the forces of nature). When, Creon, Oedipuss brother in law, came back with the pronouncement of Apollo that the plague upon Thebes would continue till the murderer of the previous king, king Laius, w as found and brought to justice, Oedipus immediately stated Ill bring it all to light myself!