Free Oedipus the King Essays: Missing Fathers :: Oedipus the King Oedipus Rex

Oedipus the male monarch - Missing Fathers though they appear briefly or not at all in Oedipus the King, Oedipus father figures play very important roles in Oedipus life. Laius, Polybus, and the shepherds may be considered Oedipus father figures. Each of these characters could constitute kept Oedipus from veneer his horrible requisite by doing something a little bit differently. Though mentioned several times through tabu the play, but being absent from the stage, Laius, Oedipus biological father, started things off on a bad note with his decision to expire it to another person to kill Oedipus. If Laius were to kill Oedipus himself, nothing would have happened. another(prenominal) option for Laius would have been to imprison Oedipus and throw away the key, thereby property Oedipus alive and knowledgeable who his father is but harmless to do anything. every way things wouldnt have been too enjoyable for Oedipus, but surely ameliorate than what eventually happened. Appeari ng for a short and influential part in the play but mentioned little otherwise, the shepherd did not make things any better for Oedipus and his future. If the shepherd had done what he was commanded to do, kill Oedipus, everything would have turn out for the better for all parties involved. Instead of killing Oedipus, the shepherd mat up sorry for him and gave him to a Corinthian shepherd from Corinth who, not knowing what the babys fate was, gave him to King Polybus. This would later turn against Oedipus because of his ignorance of who his real parents are. Briefly mentioned and never seen, the just about influential of Oedipus father figures, Polybus could be seen as guilty or unbiased when it comes to his part in dealing with Oedipus fate. On the guilty side, Polybus lied to Oedipus grievous him that he was his real father, causing Oedipus to counting away and eventually run into his fate. At this time Oedipus was old enough to deal with the truth. On the detached side, you could say that Polybus was totally ignorant and had no idea of why Oedipus was postulation him this question. Being childless also caused Polybus to lie to Oedipus thinking that if Oedipus found out that Polybus wasnt his real father that he might loose interest in his family and search for his biological family. On the other hand if Oedipus had told Polybus what had been predicted about himself, Polybus would have told him right away that he wasnt his father and that Laius was his true father.