Born into a royal family, Oedipus was one of the bearers of a disastrous generational curse. He had no idea what he was born into or what he would become. Poor Oedipus was brought into the world to serve as an example to the gods. Although Oedipus was seen as a victim of fate, he contributed more to his own destiny than the gods. He was brought into the world with a prophecy that he would kill his father, marry his mother and conceive children with her, but this was only a prophecy and not his destiny. Oedipus could have determined a new destiny for himself, but instead he did more to make the prophecy true rather than false. Oedipus' life was a great tragedy, not only for him but for his entire family. Although the gods may have made a prophecy about Oedipus's future, Oedipus primarily contributes to his fate. Oedipus was a great man. He saved Thebes from the Sphinx. The Sphinx was a terrible creature that stood before the gates of Thebes and posed a riddle to anyone who came through the gates. If the riddle remains unanswered or is answered incorrectly, the Sphinx will kill them. Oedipus saved the city of Thebes by solving the riddle of the Sphinx, which led the Sphinx to commit suicide. Oedipus was a great hero for the city of Thebes. He was their great savior so they gave him their queen and their kingdom. The fall of Oedipus was very tragic and shocked many people that such a great hero could fall so low. As Oedipus fled Corinth to end the prophecy, he killed four men. Killing is not something tolerated in Greek society, especially not killing a king. “[Hearing] you just now…makes my thoughts race back and forth…..I think I just cast a terrible curse on myself – I just didn't know” (pp. 1150-1151). Oedipus... middle of paper... he came from a terrible creature and in doing so, he conquered a throne that was rightfully his. I think that if anyone had the opportunity to govern a city, he would not have refused it. Oedipus did what he had to do and saved the city. He guided the city in the right direction for years, until a terrible plague fell on the city. Even though Oedipus was the cause of the plague and committed a great crime, he still had love for everyone in the city and believed he was doing what was best for the city. The fall of Oedipus was very tragic. In my opinion, Oedipus is a tragic hero and brought about his downfall upon himself. Works cited by Charters, Ann and Samuel Barclay. Charters. “Oedipus the King.” Literature and its writers: a compact introduction to fiction, poetry and drama. 6th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin, 2004. 1129-173. Print.