That he will find out the cause of and solution to the pestilence in Thebes and that he will identify and punish Laius' killer are the pledges made by Oedipus to the people of Thebes in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).
Specifically, the Apolline oracle says that the pestilence will end when the killer of Theban King Laius is identified and punished. Oedipus promises that he will do precisely that. He even goes so far as to add that the punishment of execution or exile will be applied to whomsoever has information but does not share and whomsoever helps or harbors the guilty.
It is because he defeats the Sphinx that the citizens of Thebes make Oedipus their king in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, the Sphinx asks a seemingly unsolvable riddle of all incoming and outgoing Thebes. Those who do not have an answer get killed and eaten by the Sphinx. A reward of marriage with widowed Queen Jocasta and job as king of Thebes is offered to whomever defeats the Sphinx. Oedipus knows the correct answer to the riddle, defeats the Sphinx, and gets the girl and the job.
The Priest requests Oedipus to help save Thebes from the devastating plague that has struck the city. He urges Oedipus to find a solution, as the citizens are suffering and looking to their king for guidance and intervention. The Priest emphasizes the need for action to restore health and prosperity to Thebes.
That he will make every effort to end the pestilence before it ends Thebes is the promise that Oedipus makes to the priest and suppliants in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, Theban King Oedipus knows that Thebes suffers from a pestilence of ailing livestock, dying children and failing crops. He learns that the pestilence will end with the identification and punishment of the guilty in King Laius' murder. He loves his city and its people. He promises that he will fight to death to find the guilty and end the pestilence.
The Sphinx was holding Thebes captive until someone answered it's riddle. Desperate for relief, Creon offers whoever can answer the riddle the hand of his sister Jocasta, recently widowed. Oedipus comes along and solves the riddle, earning himself the throne.
In Sophocles' "Oedipus Rex," Oedipus publicly proclaims a call to action to the people of Thebes, urging them to provide any information about the murderer of King Laius to rid the city of the plague afflicting it. He promises protection and rewards for anyone who comes forward with knowledge, akin to a modern-day crime stoppers initiative. This declaration demonstrates his commitment to justice and his desire to restore order to Thebes, while also highlighting his initial ignorance of his own involvement in the crime.
It is because he defeats the Sphinx that the citizens of Thebes make Oedipus their king in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, the Sphinx asks a seemingly unsolvable riddle of all incoming and outgoing Thebes. Those who do not have an answer get killed and eaten by the Sphinx. A reward of marriage with widowed Queen Jocasta and job as king of Thebes is offered to whomever defeats the Sphinx. Oedipus knows the correct answer to the riddle, defeats the Sphinx, and gets the girl and the job.
The Priest requests Oedipus to help save Thebes from the devastating plague that has struck the city. He urges Oedipus to find a solution, as the citizens are suffering and looking to their king for guidance and intervention. The Priest emphasizes the need for action to restore health and prosperity to Thebes.
That he will make every effort to end the pestilence before it ends Thebes is the promise that Oedipus makes to the priest and suppliants in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, Theban King Oedipus knows that Thebes suffers from a pestilence of ailing livestock, dying children and failing crops. He learns that the pestilence will end with the identification and punishment of the guilty in King Laius' murder. He loves his city and its people. He promises that he will fight to death to find the guilty and end the pestilence.
The Sphinx was holding Thebes captive until someone answered it's riddle. Desperate for relief, Creon offers whoever can answer the riddle the hand of his sister Jocasta, recently widowed. Oedipus comes along and solves the riddle, earning himself the throne.
Oedipus is a well-respected leader. He is a self-identified saviour, "...never doubt that I will help you / In every way I can". He is very powerful, but does not let this power make him too arrogant or self-important to aid his subjects. Consequently, the people of Thebes treat him with respect and honour, addressing him as, "Great Oedipus, O powerful king of Thebes!" An interesting line is, "...you were never / Better informed than we, nor could we teach you: / A god's touch, it seems, enabled you to help us". Oedipus' power and desire for god-like omniscience are qualities reminiscent of the gods themselves. The people of Thebes identify these qualities as signs of the gods' blessing. This is ironic because the gods, often characterized as petty, seem to feel jealous or threatened by the skill and confidence of Oedipus, leading to his doom. This curse results in Oedipus' stigma. The people still may respect their former king, but do not wish to associate themselves with him. He is shunned and banished by the gods and his people.
The Sphinx was holding Thebes captive until someone answered it's riddle. Desperate for relief, Creon offers whoever can answer the riddle the hand of his sister Jocasta, recently widowed. Oedipus comes along and solves the riddle, earning himself the throne.
Ending the pestilence is the priest's request of Oedipus in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, a pestilence afflicts Thebes. It causes children to die, crops to fail and livestock to ail. It has a chance of being solved if Theban King Oedipus gets involved.
Theban King Oedipus tries to uncover the cause of pestilence in Thebes, by sending his brother-in-law and uncle, Theban King Creon, to Apollo's shrine. It's the correct choice to make. Creon comes back with the information that the killer[s] of Oedipus' royal predecessor, Theban King Laius, must be identified and punished with execution or exile.
That he himself is a murderer is what is ironic about Oedipus calling Creon a murderer in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, all Thebes is looking for the murderer of Theban King Laius, King Oedipus' royal predecessor. Oedipus needs to make good on his promise to find and punish the guilty. But he starts off badly by making groundless accusations against Creon, his brother-in-law and royal colleague, and against Teiresias, his royal advisor, and Thebes' respected blind prophet.
The effects of a pestilence on the Theban population and on their livestock and crops make up the ways in which Thebes is dying in the play 'Oedipus Rex'. The pestilence lowers the birth rate. Couples aren't having children, and those who do are dealing with high infant death rates. The livestock are sickening and dying as well. And finally, the crops are becoming so diseased and damaged that the harvests aren't good. So Thebes faces the death of its people and the end of its food supplies.
In Sophocles' play Oedipus Rex, the blind prophet Tiresias accuses Oedipus of being the cause of the plague that has recently fallen over Thebes. He states that Oedipus has unknowingly killed his father and married his mother, and thus brought divine punishment upon the city. Tiresias also tells Oedipus that the only way to end the plague is for Oedipus to exile himself from the city and never return.Tiresias' accusation is that Oedipus has committed an act of incest and patricide, and as a result, is responsible for the plague that has befallen Thebes. He believes that the only way to end the plague is for Oedipus to exile himself from the city and never return.
No, Theban Queen Jocasta suggesting seers sometimes make mistakes isn't what happens first in 'Oedipus Rex'. In fact, she isn't around when the play begins. Instead, the scene opens to an interaction of Theban King Oedipus, the priest, and suppliants outside the royal palace of Thebes.