Thursday, January 23, 2020

The Oedipus Complex in Oedipus the King :: Sophocles

In Oedipus the King, once upon a time in a kingdom far, far away Queen Jocasta was expecting a baby boy, but one day Tiresias (a blind prophet) dropped by one day to see the queen to give her bad news about her baby. Tiresias said "My queen, the son you will bear will kill his father and marry his mother!!!" The queen was appalled by this news, thus, after the queen had her son she immediately drove him away, by leaving him in the dark, verdant woods. A herder from another kingdom found the baby boy and immediately notified his king about the baby. The king adopted the newborn boy and named it Oedipus. When Oedipus was grown up (in his twenties) he heard a legend that a prince from a kingdom far, far away will kill his father and marry his own mother. Oedipus was frightened that he will kill his father and own marry his own mother so he embarked on a journey to escape the myth. When Oedipus was traveling in his chariot he met a man in the middle of the desert, and the young arrogant Oedipus killed the man. (He did not know that he just killed his biological father) In the gates of Thebes, a sphinx was guarding the kingdom slithering back and forth. Oedipus finally talks to the sphinx, ?Maybe you can spare us some food, my kingdom was shambling into death.? ?Well, well, do you want to enter the kingdom to speak to the queen?. ? ?Yes,? replied Oedipus ?I have a riddle for you my child. If you answer it correctly, you may talk to the queen and you have heard about our king who has been missing for days. We assumed he is rotting in the middle of the desert. I guess the vultures will have a feast? In addition to talking to the queen about your discrepancies you can also marry the widowed queen.? The sphinx asked Oedipus, ?What walks on four legs in the morning, two at noon, and three in the evening?? ?A man,? Oedipus replied and he was correct. So basically he can marry the queen of Thebes and that makes him the king of Thebes. (But keep in mind Oedipus is going to marry his own mother.) The King had the Queen of Thebes four children, two sons, Eyocles and Polynices and two daughters, Ismene and Antigone.

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