Justice in Sophocles

The Justice and Redemption of King Oedipus

Sophocles , over the period of a lifetime , wrote many plays , of them his Oedipus mythology is perhaps the most interpreted due to its continuing story line and archetypal plot lines . The plays themselves Oedipus the King , Oedipus at Colonus , and Antigone , were written years apart which shows the very profound immersion that Sophocles had in the Oedipus story and dramatic themes involving the redemption of sin from patricide and incest - a story which he demonstrates over the arch of the three Theban plays . With that

said , a close look will be taken into the Oedipus arch throughout the three plays , with an emphasis on the character of Oedipus , to analyze how the fallen king finds redemption from his sins

To begin with , Sophocles , in his attempt to tell the story of Oedipus did not write the plays in the that most anthologies present . As Grene notes , as far as the legend is concerned , the story runs in sequence : Oedipus the King , Oedipus at Colonus , Antigone (p . i . In fact , as David Grene notes , they were written and conceived in the Antigone , Oedipus the King , and then Oedipus at Colonus (p . i , which presents a few inaccuracies within the story itself (mainly with the character Creon , but , all things considered , having written them over a period of some forty or more years , Sophocles did the best he could in an attempt to tell the story he wanted to tell while highlighting the...