Oedipus Rex

Sophocles’ most well known tragedy is without a doubt Oedipus Rex. It is often regarded as the best tragedy that has ever been written.
This tragedy follows the story about a man named Oedipus who is cursed with a great prophecy that states that he will kill his father and marry his mother. Upon learning about this prophecy, his father, King Laius decides to pierce Oedipus’ ankles and leave him to die. Oedipus is rescued and taken to Corinth where he is adopted by the king and queen. Oedipus himself learns about his prophecy and flees Corinth in order to avoid it from becoming true. On his journey Oedipus encounters King Laius and a few other men at a crossroads and he proceeds to kill all of them except one. He later encounters a Sphinx that has the city of Thebes captive and will only leave if someone answers its riddle correctly. Oedipus correctly answers its riddle to save the city of Thebes. As a reward for his heroics, Oedipus gets crowned as the new king and marries the queen Jocasta. It is after this chain of events that the prophecy, unbeknownst to any of the characters but not to the audience, is fulfilled. This is an example of dramatic irony.
The climax of the story occurs when Oedipus realizes that he was the one that killed Laius because everything that occurs from then on is a part of his downfall. The play ends in Oedipus gouging his own eye, the death of Jocasta, the exile of Oedipus, and Creon, Jocasta’s brother, becoming king.