Oedipus the King, a Greek tragedy, is the story of a man's struggle against his destiny. The author Sophocles uses many different themes and contrasts in his writing. The most obvious theme is irony. The priests of Apollo gave an oracle that a son of King Laius and Queen Jocasta would kill Laius and marry Jocasta. Oedipus was taken as a child, left to die, but was saved by a shepherd and his wife. Oedipus grows up, not knowing his true identity and fulfills the prophecy. After unknowingly killing King Laius during a chance encounter, Oedipus travels to the city of Thebes, where he solves the great riddle of the Sphinx that no one else could solve. The people of Thebes were so happy to be free from the Sphinx that they made Oedipus their new king. He then marries Queen Jocasta, fulfilling the final part of the prophecy. The story begins with a priest coming to King Oedipus with grave details about the tribulations of the city of Thebes. He begs Oedipus to help him ease their suffering. Creon entrusts Oedipus with a mission to fi...