Prophecy In Sophocles Oedipus The King

Back to the Future A prophecy can be defined as a statement that something will happen in the future (“Prophecy”). Prophecies played a major role in many ancient Greek lives. They were such a pivotal aspect of that writers incorporated them into their works, which can be seen in Oedipus the King by Sophocles. Not only did it affect literary life, but it also affected the lives of actual people. King Croesus of Lydia and Alexander the Great of Greece were two of many people heavily impacted by these foresights . Although these prophecies were foretold by wise, yet strange characters, all of them would be fulfilled in some form or fashion. Rejecting or resisting these predictions would be futile, which is one of the main reasons many individuals
The story is set in ancient Thebes, a city in Greece. The high priest of Thebes describes the setting of the city as a very dark and unpleasant place:
26 For our city, as you yourself can see, / 27 is badly shaken – she cannot raise her head/ 28 above the depths of so much surging death. / 29 Disease infects fruit blossoms in our land, / 30 disease infects our herds of grazing cattle, / 31 makes women in labour lose their children, / 32 and deadly pestilence, that fiery god, / 33 swoops down to blast the city, emptying/ 34 the House of Cadmus, and fills black Hades/ 35 with groans and howls… (“Oedipus the
Croesus was the ruler of Lydia, a country in modern-day Turkey (Mark). He was worried about the threat that Cyrus the Elder, King of Persia and Babylon posed to him and his country (“Ancient”). Seeking for an answer, Croesus consulted Apollo at Delphi. Apollo would communicate to his worshippers through virgin priestesses, called Pythia, who would tell of the prophecies to come (“Ancient”). Croesus asked Apollo if he should attack the Persians, and the response he received was that if he did, a great empire will be destroyed. He questioned the god again about how long his reign would last, and was greeted with an interesting answer. “…when a mule becometh king of Medes, flee, soft-soled Lydian, by pebbly Hermus, and stay not, nor feel shame to be a coward” (“Ancient”). The king had one last question about his deaf-mute son, and Apollo replied, “He will speak first on a day that is not propitious” (“Ancient”). Croesus ultimately decided to attack Cyrus and the Persians, which lead to the fulfillment of each prophecy. His great empire fell as a result of the war. Cyrus’ parents were of two different descents, which lead to term “mule” being used to describe him. Lastly, Croesus was attacked by a Persian soldier that did not recognize him, and Croesus’ son yelled at the man to not kill his father. Though not the answers he was looking for, prophecies heavily influenced Croesus’