In what situation did Oedipus kill his father in Oedipus Rex?
Oedipus Rex is a notable literary work by Sophocles. A complete discussion of this literary work is given, which will help you enhance your literary skills and prepare for the exam. Read the Main texts, Key info, Summary, Themes, Characters, Literary devices, Quotations, Notes, and various study materials of Oedipus Rex.
Answer
In what situation did Oedipus kill his father in Oedipus Rex?
or Comment on the killing scene of Laius in ”Oedipus Rex.”
King Oedipus or Oedipus Rex (429 BC) by Sophocles (496-406 BC) is a masterpiece of Greek tragedy. The tragedy shows the sorrowful history of Oedipus, who killed his father and married his mother.
Description: We know from reading the tragedy that King Laius married Jocasta. They wanted a child, as they had led several times with no child. Laius consulted with the Oracle of Apollo at Delphi about having a child. The Oracle told Laius that if he got a son, his son would kill him. But Laius had to have a son, and he did. As he did not want the prophecy to come true, he sent the baby as an abandoned one on a mountain.
A passing shepherd took the baby and brought him to the king of Corinth. The baby was adopted and raised by the royal family. Once Oedipus came to know that he was adopted. He consulted with the Oracle, and the Oracle told him about his true parentage. Not wanting to kill his father, Oedipus started coming to Thebes. On the way, he encountered an unknown traveling caravan. There, he killed a man who turned out to be his birth father.
Thus, Oedipus killed his father accidentally. It happens by the wave of fate. Fate plays a leading role in Oedipus’s life. It proceeds to Oedipus himself digging his doom.