Oedipus Rex

Sophocles was a play writer who began writing at a very young age; by the end of his life the number of plays totaled over 120. Sophocles died in 406 BC and seven of his plays have survived in their entirety. One of the seven plays that has made the journey from past to present is Oedipus Rex. Thought to be one of Sophocles greatest works, Oedipus Rex is filled with many moral themes that question the ideas of sin, guilt, and destiny.
There is some confusion about what Oedipus was truly guilty of. One of the crimes that he did commit was the murder of his father. However, the reason that he killed his father was because his father tried to kill him, thus Oedipus used self defense. Another crime that Oedipus was said to be guilty of was incest. …