Oedipus Rex

Believe in or not, the most famous part of the story of Oedipus is about the puzzle he resolved when he encountered with Sphinx on his way to Thebes. "What has four legs in the morning, two during the daytime, and three in the evening?" The great man used his wisdom to figure out the answer but he did not realize that his native wit was also the key that lead him to his tomb. In my opinion, the riddle plot is a very critical part of the tragedy. If Oedipus could not answer the question, he probably would be killed like many other travellers. Then, he would never get a chance to be overconfident about his immortal. The overconfidence blinded Oedipus and let him denied his fate till the very last moment. Therefore, Oedipus' overconfidence somehow strengthened his tragedy. I do not think that Oedipus should be a person who desired condemnation even though he killed his father and married with his mother. His fate was impressed at the very beginning of his life.