Sophocles authored Oedipus the King circa 430 b.c., a time period in which audiences anticipated and judges awarded such tragedies. The action of Oedipus the King occurs in the city of Thebes where Oedipus lives in his palace with his wife, Jocasta, listens to advice from his priests, and presides over the townspeople. At the time the play begins, the townspeople have come to Oedipus for help, which leads Oedipus to look for additional assistance. …showed first 75 words of 729 total…

…showed last 75 words of 729 total…power, which caused his downfall to be even more tragic. Sophocles uses Oedipus’s life to demonstrate that humans often act stubborn when they do not want others to control them. Sophocles also proves the point that when something does not happen as planned, emotions can run rampant. However, Sophocles focuses most on the idea that destinies can not change and gods can alter a person to make that person better suited for their purpose.