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Murder In Sophocles Oedipus The King

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In the play “Oedipus the King” by Sophocles, many crimes are committed by many different people, making it possible for a person to blame any character. However, the murder of Laius falls on one person and one person only, Oedipus himself. There is ample evidence pointing towards his guilt: more than one person was killed that day; prophecies are not clear, he had options; and he deliberately tried to ignore the gods. Oedipus admits to killing more than just Laius where the three roads meet at Delphi. He explains: “...sprawling headlong- I killed them all-every mother’s son!” (294). By killing the king, he is not only guilty of manslaughter; he is guilty of high treason. There is no sugar coating it, Oedipus admits to murdering several people. Even if he had no choice but to kill Laius, assuming the blame is …show more content…

However, prophecies are not that clear. The prophecy does not specifically mentions birth parents. Prophecies can go any way and are not in any way clear. The prophecy said, “‘You are fated to couple with your mother...you will kill your father, the one who give you life!’’ (294). While most people assume, Laius and Jocasta are the biological parents, they gave him life; there is another interpretation. Merope and Polybus took in the baby and raised him as their own, giving him a new life. If looked at in a way that Merope and Polybus gave him life in another sense, he did not absolutely have to kill Laius. The prophecy did not specify biological or adoptive parents.
In a play alive with crimes in can seem difficult to place blame, but when broken down it makes sense. Oedipus is 100 percent guilty for the death of Laius in “Oedipus the King” by Sophocles. There is ample evidence including the facts that; he killed more than one person that night, prophecies are not clear, and he tried to escape a prophecy from the

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