Oedipus Rex

That he serves a god not a king is the reason why Teiresias is not afraid of Oedipus in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).

Specifically, Teiresias the blind prophet carries the total knowledge of Thebes' past, present and future within his person. He is gifted at interpreting divine will through ritual sacrifice and in interpreting events. He serves Apollo the god of prophecy, not Oedipus the king of Thebes.

Execution is the penalty for burying Polyneices in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).

Specifically, Theban King Creon announces an edict of non-burial of the disloyal Theban dead. He insists that the penalty must be death. The penalty is outlined in the law as death under a shower of heavy, sharp rocks thrown by fellow Thebans.

To get away from each other, go back to their respective quarters and turn their attentions to less trifling matters is Jocasta's advice to her quarreling husband and brother in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).

Specifically, Theban Queen Jocasta comes upon an argumentative interaction between her second husband King Oedipus and her brother Creon. She expresses her disappointment in them for taking up valuable time fighting with each other when all Thebes needs to be united in ending the pestilence. She tells them to break it up and go back to their respective homes.

Yes, the play "Antigone" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. -- 405 B.C.E.) indicates that fate, not choice controls life.

Specifically, Antigone chooses to disobey a human law and honor a divine law. Either way, she will be punished for disrespect: through a death sentence in this world by breaking the human law or through consequences in the afterlife for all time by breaking the divine law. In reaching her decision, Antigone brings up the divine curse that directs and ruins the lives of all her ancestors and of her and her siblings.

It is from the Theban shepherd's eyewitness testimonythat Oedipus learns about his true identity in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).

Specifically, the Theban shepherd is present at every critical moment in the lives of Theban monarchs Jocasta, Laius and Oedipus. He rescues the infant Oedipus from his parents' assassination attempt and transfer him to the Corinthian royal household. He sees Oedipus kill Laius and then marry Jocasta. He finally and reluctantly tells all.

That he give her a proper burial is what Oedipus asks of Creon regarding Jocasta in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).

Specifically, Theban Queen Jocasta hangs herself once she realizes that King Oedipus is not only her second husband but also her son and therefore both father and half-brother to their four children. Her body as that of one become abhorrent to the gods and to mortals is left on the bedroom floor where Oedipus puts her in order to remove her golden brooches with which to blind himself. In a chilling foreshadowing to the burial/non-burial controversy in "Antigone," Oedipus trusts that Creon, his royal successor and Jocasta's brother, will honor her divinely guaranteed right as a Theban to proper below-ground burial and funeral rites.

Yes, Oedipus is separated from his children in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).

Specifically, disgraced Theban King Oedipus asks to meet with his young daughters, the sister Princesses Antigone and Ismene. He does not ask to meet with his sons, the twin brother Princes Eteocles and Polyneices. He is supposed to be placed under house arrest pending divine indication of whether he is to be executed or exiled. His brother-in-law and royal successor, King Creon, therefore separates father from daughters immediately after the meeting is over.

Doing "...many things against my will..." is a quotation that shows how Creon in Oedipus' foil in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).

Specifically, Creon declares that he does not want to rule alone as sovereign of all Thebes. He favors the joint power sharing arrangement whereby he gets what he desires without having to work for it. He insists that as sole king he must do what he dislikes, most likely more often than what he likes.

Creon therefore may be seen as King Oedipus' opposite or foil. In contrast to Creon, Oedipus prefers to lead. He seems to have no problems with being the most visible authority figure in all Thebes.

That Polybus is dead is the news that the Messenger brings from Oedipus' homeland and that the death is from natural causes is the reason why Jocasta is relived in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).

Specifically, Theban King Oedipus fears his fate as his father's killer. But the Corinthian messenger lets Oedipus' wife Queen Jocasta know that Oedipus' presumed father, King Polybus, is dead from illness and old age. Jocasta welcomes the news since Oedipus is far away in Thebes and therefore cannot be said to bring about his father's death in Corinth.

That he knows his true identity is a reason why Oedipus is a better man at the end of "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).

Specifically, Oedipus fights all of his life against the realization of his fate as his father's killer and his mother's husband. He ultimately finds out that all his choices are made from the starting point of a flawed perspective. He knows who he is, what he is up against and what his options are.

That he is brave, compassionate, responsible and righteous are ways in which Oedipus is an admirable character in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).

Specifically, Theban King Oedipus demonstrates bravery in his encounter with the monstrous Sphinx. He exhibits compassion in his interactions with his citizens and with his daughters. He expresses responsibility in his persistence in investigating Laius' murder even when he becomes a prime suspect. He manifests righteousness in his struggles against a horrifying fate.