Katie Edson

3/14/12
H. English, Hunt, P1
Oedipus Rex Outline

To Laius, King of Thebes, an oracle foretold that the child born to him by his queen
Jocasta would slay his father and wed his mother. This is the prophecy that carries the plot
throughout the entire story. Oedipuss arrogance leads him to believe that by running away from
his parents that he will never fulfill the prophecy, although he unknowingly does. Throughout
the play, Oedipus remains oblivious to what is going around him, due to his arrogance and pride,
which eventually lead to his tragic demise.
Oedipus Rex has a complicated family life. There was a prophecy made that he will kill
his father and marry his mother, which he unknowingly does. He didnt know that they were his
parents at the time, and neither did they, contrary to the hints throughout the story. There were
many times where it was suggested that these were his parents, yet he chose to ignore them.
Oedipus builds a wall of arrogance to protect himself. There have been multiple times where
people have tried to tell him things, and he just completely disregards them. Perhaps if he
listened to what people tried to say to him, then he would have ended up in a better situation.
Although Oedipus was thrown into a complicated situation, he could have handled it much
better.

Teiresias, the blind prophet, comes with a message for Oedipus. It is not from me your
fate will come. That lies within Apollo's competence, as it is his concern. Teiresias is holding
the truth from Oedipus, as have many others. It may be this, combined with his pride, which is
his tragic flaw. Throughout the story, the majority of characters hide the truth from Oedipus in
order to protect him. However, it may have been a better choice in order to tell him. Being under
the impression that everything is fine, it makes Oedipus believe that he is doing a great job ruling
his country, and it increases his pride. Perhaps it would have been best to tell Oedipus the truth in
the first place.
Without Oedipuss ignorance of the world around him, he probably wouldnt have lived
nearly as long as he did. However, because he ignored what was going on around him, he
became even more proud and arrogant, because he thought he was doing a great job ruling his
country. This pride is what led to his downfall. Throughout the play, Oedipus remains oblivious
to what is going around him, due to his arrogance and pride, which eventually lead to his tragic
demise.

Sophocles. Oedipus Rex. Trans. Fitts, Dudley and Robert Fitzgerald. New York: Holt, Rinehart
and Winston, 1998. Print.