Essay Topics on Oedipus the King - The Murder Suspect

Essay Topics on Oedipus the King - The Murder SuspectWhat does Oedipus the King have to do with essay topics on Oedipus the murder suspect? This is an intriguing topic for a composition. Consider some of the central themes of the Greek tragedy that is one of the oldest and most well-known forms of literature.Oedipus was born of an incestuous union with his mother, Jocasta. Although it is not clear whether the couple had sexual intercourse or simply the actions of a mother-son lust, the fact remains that Oedipus was born and raised by his mother. He was not allowed to know his father until he was three, but when he found out he was already dead. In Greek mythology, he sought vengeance by killing his father and everyone else related to him.In Sophocles' Oedipus, Oedipus falls from grace because of his tragic quest. He spends years planning and murdering innocent people, but never accomplishing his goal. Then a girl (probably Jocasta's daughter) convinces him to marry her so she can bec ome a king. But in Greek mythology, the god Hades has it in for the newlywed couple, so they wind up buried alive together.The wise god of Thebes, Pythia, warns Oedipus to stay away from the nymph Calypso. As the story goes, she was in love with Oedipus and would have been his bride if he had not murdered her. With their bodies in the ground, Oedipus tricked the nymphs into thinking that Calypso was dead, then used her ring to kill her. As she lies dead, the clever King of Athens executes Oedipus because of his depravity.Essay Topics on Oedipus the King is a good place to begin any essay on the life of a tragic hero. Let us consider how the theme of revenge fits the tragic hero. The tragic hero's quest for revenge will often drive the plot of the play.We may think of Oedipus as our wily Oedipus, the mastermind of the notorious murders committed by his mother and grandmother. Now we might look at the murder case of Oedipus and one of his uncles. The father was a good man who was fals ely accused and executed because of Oedipus' crime. The surviving brother, Philoctetes, had actually protected the couple from the attack by his wife. It is not clear whether the hero Oedipus actually killed Philoctetes, but the murder did take place. Whatever the truth, both brothers paid a terrible price for their crimes.If you are confused by the reason for the father's death, you should remember that Jocasta was infatuated with Oedipus. It was only out of jealousy that she decided to imprison and eventually kill her son. But remember that when Oedipus arrived home he ran into his uncle and killed him. Did this mean that Oedipus committed a mistake? Maybe not. Oedipus was clearly evil, so his innocent twin brother died for Oedipus' crime.Essay Topics on Oedipus the King can be divided into two parts. The first focuses on the murder case and the second examines the theme of revenge. When you prepare your paper, you should consider these themes and others you will read about in Gre ek mythology. Now you can decide whether you want to follow in the footsteps of one of the best loved Greek heroes or explore other types of tragedies in the course of writing this essay.