Oedipus by SophoclesYou can run, but you cannot hideThe theater writers of the 16th century often focused on the tragic irony of fate. One such playwright is Sophacles. In one of his later works, "Oedipus", he writes the tragic story of a man who cannot avoid his predestined fate and that some things cannot be changed by the people in your life, no matter how difficult it is. they try. Oedipus, the protagonist of this tragedy, is a protagonist governed by conflict and destiny. This is evident in the character's traits and motivations, interactions with others, the character's language, and what others say about him. Destined to kill his father and marry his mother, Oedipus is cursed. When people discover the curse, Laius, the king of Thebes, his birth father orders a shepherd to kill the child after his birth mother has him, but the shepherd instead gives the child to the shepherd of another nearby kingdom called Corinthian. The shepherd of Corinth gives the child to his king and queen who cannot have children and they raise the child, Oedipus, without telling him that he is not their real son. Then one day the oracle of Delphi tells Oedipus about the curse and Oedipus tries to escape the horrible fate but instead runs straight towards it. He finds his father, the king of Corinth, and kills him in a squabble at a crossroads. He then saves the kingdom of Thebes from a conundrum and marries the queen who unknowingly is his mother. Oedipus is a character destined for his tragic destiny but at the same time his pompous nature contributes to his destiny. At the beginning of the play Oedipus is so witty that he manages to solve the riddle of the curse of Thebes and is thus crowned king. She is a very confident ruler because she feels... middle of paper... doubt makes it clear through her desperate tone that she is willing to continue denying the truth for their lives to remain unchanged and blissful. Her stance on the matter disturbs the king and he wishes for her death. The consequences of the once happy mother and son, and husband and wife, are inevitable as it was the predestined fate of the glorified king and savior of Thebes. Through Oedipus' traits and motivations, interactions with others, and the language of others it is evident that fate is not something you can run away from or hide from. Work cited Burton, Akhmed. “A king in denial.” AGNI 1966: 23-27.Layton, Elizabeth. Oracular thoughts. New York: 2006 Shakespeare, William. The tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice. Literature: A Paperback Anthology 3rd ed. ED RS Gwynn. New York: Penguin, 2006: 849-96