Oedipus Rex

Causing our own grief In Oedipus Rex, written by Sophocles, some of the characters cause their own problems. The idea applies not only to the story but to real life as well. In fact, “The greatest griefs are those we cause ourselves.” The significance of this quotation is that people bring on their own sadness by their own doings. Other people do not cause the grief. In Oedipus Rex, Oedipus causes his own grief by trying to escape the fate of the oracle’s prophecy. He cannot blame his grief on anyone but himself. Oedipus starts the cause of his own grief by going to the oracle in out of curiosity. When the oracle tells him he is destined to sleep with his mother and kill his father, he attempts to avoid this fate by leaving Corinth. Oedipus heads to Thebes, he ends up killing this real father, Laius. Thinking nothing of it he continues on his path to sorrow. Later becoming King of Thebes by solving the sphinx, he completes the fate of the oracle without knowing by marring Joacasta, Laius wife, and his real mother. Oedipus never knew of this outcome till the end, and it really took full effect on him because he knows he brought it upon himself. His intentions were not bad, but he knows he could have done something different to make the outcome better. He drowns in his own grief and knows he has to punish himself. Sometimes are actions seem to be what is right at the time, but eventually cause a major difference in our life and can cause grief upon us forever. Causing our own grief is prevalent not only in Oedipus Rex, but also to real life and from my own experience. Every time I or anyone lies they usually end up getting caught. People lie in the first place so they do not get in trouble, or so they can get what they want. In reality the lie just may bring upon the exact opposite. Telling a lie to escape punishment just may cause a huge downfall and misery. In society today, people tend to buy expensive items with loans and just start to get so caught up