One of Sophocles Theban Plays - Essay Example

Oedipus marries Jocasta, the widowed queen, and gets several children in their happy married life. Later, when a terrible drought and famine come upon the land, Oedipus calls on the seer Teiresias to find the cause of the problem. “Teiresias explains that Jocasta and Oedipus are mother and son, as well as wife and husband, and that this is the source of infertility of the land.” (Taylor, 170) All my friends had the opinion that this play of a murder mystery may be regarded as the finest play by Sophocles and the most powerful expression of Greek tragic drama, thanks to its major themes and plot. To us all, Oedipus the King had been a very interesting play revealing significant facts about fate, the gods, one’s quest for identity, incest, and murder. The playwright has been highly effective in presenting these themes in a convincing manner which catches the attention of the audience. We also felt that Sophocles has been greatly successful in portraying Oedipus as a worthy tragic hero and we were all stunned by the role of the protagonist who accidentally marries his mother to meet his ultimate fate. Therefore, we were all deeply excited and happy to see Sophocles enter the tavern and we all had the chance to speak to him about his play. We were appreciative of his skillful presentation of the plot and the themes to make the play one of the most celebrated Greek tragedies.