King Oedipus shows that sacrifice is a prevalent role
in this play. He shows this the element of sacrifice while attempting to
comfort the people of Thebes. He tells them that Jocasta’s brother, Creon has
been sent to seek the advice of Apollo to find out how to stop the plague that
has been ravaging the kingdom of Thebes. When speaking to the chorus about the
murderer of Laius, he threatens that if anyone knows who he is and does not
speak up, he orders the citizens to “banish this man- whoever he may be- never
shelter him, never speak a word to him” (270-272). He is shows his
determination to find Laius’s murderer and make certain that he is punished and
more importantly, solve the mystery of the murder to lift the curse of the
plague. He essentially sacrifices the person responsible of Laius’s death. He even
goes as far as saying that this person “is the plague, the heart of our
corruption” (276). Oedipus also shows this role when he sacrifices himself. He
declares “I curse myself as well… if by any chance he proves to be an intimate
of our house, here at my hearth, with my full knowledge, may the curse I just
called down on him strike me!” (284-287). This value of sacrifice is important
to Oedipus because he believes that he is the only one who can stop the plague
from destroying the kingdom and protect the citizens of Thebes. Oedipus sees
that the people of Thebes trust that he will save them and that the fate of
Thebes rests in his hands, when the priest says “Oedipus, king, we bend to you,
your power- we implore you, all of us on our knees: find us strength, rescue!”
(50-52).
Sacrifice is a major part of this play. King Laius had to make a massive sacrifice: his son. In order to save himself from the prophecy, the king left his son to die. Unfortunately for Laius, prophecies cannot be broken, so he missed out on raising his child for nothing.
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