In five pages tis paper discusses Sophocles' Oedipus Rex in an examination of how it thematically depicts unwritten law and its power. There are no other sources listed.
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these unwritten laws involve the gods, but they are also laws which involve a certain level of common sense. In the case of Oedipus the King we have a man
who finds himself at the mercy of the gods, and mankinds unwritten laws. He is the victim of prophecy and the victim of his own hand. In the following paper
we present an examination of two conditions wherein Oedipus finds himself the victim of unwritten laws. Unwritten Law The power of unwritten laws can often destroy an individual.
We are perhaps more familiar with the unwritten laws from a humorous perspective, such as is seen in Murphys laws. For example, we are all familiar with the line, "If
something can go wrong it will." This is a generally pessimistic, though humorous unwritten law. And, in many ways it serves to illustrate the reality that faces Oedipus in relationship
to the gods and unwritten laws. Oedipus tries, as much as he can, to avoid the prophecy that is given to him, but in the end, he is the victim
of the prophecy which represents unwritten laws in a powerful manner. Oedipus is told that he will kill his father and marry his mother. This involves a very powerful
unwritten law concerning incest. While there was perhaps no laws concerning this perspective, there was surely the unwritten law that claimed such action was incredibly wrong. Oedipus is haunted by
this prophecy, this power of unwritten law. He ahs, however, inadvertently already killed his father and is already married to his mother. Here is a man who has done
everything possible to avoid doing as the prophecy stated. He has avoided the people he thought to be his parents, so that the prophecy would not come to pass. But,