In the ancient times of Greece, an oracle was someone who offered advice or a prophecy thought to have come directly from a divine source like the gods. Many oracles give vague and obscure advice that creates their mystical presence. For example, the oracle at Delphi, who spoke for Apollo, is a figure of great historical importance, whose legend is still an enigma. In the play Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, many characters such as Creon, Oedipus, Laius and Jocasta, sought out the oracle in order to ask for advice.
Before the play began, King Laius and Queen Jocasta of Thebes were told by an oracle that their son would grow up to kill his father and sleep with his mother. For this reason, the king and queen tied their son’s ankles together and left …show more content…
He was raised by King Polybus and Queen Merope of Corinth, who eagerly accepted the child for they could not have any of their own. On page 231, Oedipus tells Jocasta, “At a feast, a drunken man maundering in his cups cries out that I am not my father’s son!” (Sophocles Lines 735 – 736) Oedipus feels restless after this and must know the truth so he also visits an oracle. When he visits, he learns the prophecy, but thinking that Polybus and Merope are his real parents, he flees from Corinth. For Oedipus, visiting the oracle was harmful. It led him to have the wrong perceptions and his ignorance to the real situation caused him to enact the curse. If he had not known the prophecy, he most probably would have stayed in Corinth and never have conflicted with Jocasta and Laius.
Like Oedipus, Angelina Jolie went to someone who can advise her or predict her fate. The situation might be different but the circumstances were similar. After finding out her family had a history of breast cancer, Angelina Jolie went to a doctor to get her blood drawn. The simple blood test revealed a mutation she carried in her genes, which resulted in a high percent risk of breast cancer and ovarian cancer. To avoid her fate, Jolie had a double mastectomy and an oophorectomy. Unlike Oedipus, whose visit to the oracle was harmful, Jolie’s visit to the doctor was helpful to change her predetermined
Before the play began, King Laius and Queen Jocasta of Thebes were told by an oracle that their son would grow up to kill his father and sleep with his mother. For this reason, the king and queen tied their son’s ankles together and left …show more content…
He was raised by King Polybus and Queen Merope of Corinth, who eagerly accepted the child for they could not have any of their own. On page 231, Oedipus tells Jocasta, “At a feast, a drunken man maundering in his cups cries out that I am not my father’s son!” (Sophocles Lines 735 – 736) Oedipus feels restless after this and must know the truth so he also visits an oracle. When he visits, he learns the prophecy, but thinking that Polybus and Merope are his real parents, he flees from Corinth. For Oedipus, visiting the oracle was harmful. It led him to have the wrong perceptions and his ignorance to the real situation caused him to enact the curse. If he had not known the prophecy, he most probably would have stayed in Corinth and never have conflicted with Jocasta and Laius.
Like Oedipus, Angelina Jolie went to someone who can advise her or predict her fate. The situation might be different but the circumstances were similar. After finding out her family had a history of breast cancer, Angelina Jolie went to a doctor to get her blood drawn. The simple blood test revealed a mutation she carried in her genes, which resulted in a high percent risk of breast cancer and ovarian cancer. To avoid her fate, Jolie had a double mastectomy and an oophorectomy. Unlike Oedipus, whose visit to the oracle was harmful, Jolie’s visit to the doctor was helpful to change her predetermined