In Greek tragedy, who is the King of Thebes in Sophocles' masterpiece who unwittingly fulfills a prophesy that he will slay his father Laius and marry his mother Jocasta?

Answer and explanation

Correct answer: D. Oedipus

  1. Step 1: Widely regarded by Aristotle in his 'Poetics' as the supreme exemplar of classical Greek tragedy, this Athenian play relies on tragic irony and recognition.
  2. Step 2: In Sophocles' 'Oedipus Rex' (Oedipus the King), Oedipus ruthlessly investigates the murder of King Laius to cure a plague afflicting Thebes, only to discover that he himself is the patricidal culprit.
Answer
Oedipus
Why not the others: 'Creon' Creon is Jocasta's brother who inherits the Theban throne and clashes with Antigone in Sophocles' 'Antigone'; 'Agamemnon' Agamemnon is the King of Mycenae murdered upon returning from Troy by his wife Clytemnestra in Aeschylus' 'Oresteia'; 'Teiresias' Teiresias is the blind prophet of Apollo in Thebes who reveals the devastating truth about Oedipus's identity.

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