Agamemnon and Oedipus Rex

The closing of Agamemnon was very interesting because it became apparent how fake and deceitful Clytaemnestra was from the beginning of the play. She was a woman with a plan and she had every intention of seeing it through. She killed Agamemnon and was quite upfront about how she went about doing it but made sure to justify her actions with the revelation of Agamemnon’s past deeds as well.

The plot of Oedipus is very interesting and captivating. I couldn’t help but get caught up in the drama that surrounded Oedipus. First off, Oedipus is the adopted son of Polybus and Periboea and birth son of Jocasta and Laius. He ran from home upon learning of a prophecy that claimed he would kill his father and marry his mother (thinking that meant Polybus and Periboea and unbeknownst to the fact that Laius, his birth father, got rid of him when he was just a baby). What ends up happening is that Laius and Oedipus crossed paths and Oedipus kills him and later on brings down the Sphinx, then replaces Laius as king of Thebes. Further on in the tale, Oedipus is struck with the task of healing his state, Thebes, and therefore reaches out to the Gods and is told that In order to restore his state he must get rid of the murderer of Laius. Not knowing that he himself was the murderer of Laius, Oedipus sets this curse upon the murderer and seeks their downfall, basically digging his own grave. This play is enticing because of this irony and unveiling of truths that Oedipus did not know. It is funny how determined he is to find this murderer and ends up accusing innocent people, when he is the actual perpetrator.