Realism in Oedipus the KingThis essay will examine an aspect of Sophocles' tragedy that leads the reader to doubt the realism that underlies the literary work. Specifically, the essay will examine the feasibility of the era's belief that the Oracle of Delphi possessed credibility among the people. At the beginning of the drama, the priest of Zeus and the crowd of citizens of Thebes are gathered in front of the royal palace of Thebes. talking with King Oedipus about the plague that is ravaging the city. The king is deeply disturbed and deplores the sad situation. Then he said: I sent the son of Menoeceus, Creon, the brother of my husband, to inquire of the Pythian Phoebus in his sanctuary at Delphi, how I could save the state by deed or word. And now I count the tale of the days since he left, and marvel at how he fares. It's strange, this endless wait, which passes strangely. But when he comes, then I was truly vile, if I do not fulfill all that the god declares. From this passage, it would seem that the king had full faith in the advice expected from the oracle of Delphi. Is this notion historically accurate? Did Sophocles' contemporaries really place such trust in their pagan gods and goddesses? As Brian Wilkie and James Hurt say in “Sophocles”: “Humanity in his plays is an integral part of a world order that can be understood, at best, only partially. The cosmic system includes, in addition to human beings and nature, those dark and inscrutable forces identified – inappropriately – as gods and destiny” (718). When Creon returns, he gives his report publicly: CREON Let me then report everything that the god has declared. King Phoebus orders us to strictly eradicate fallen pollution which ...... middle of paper ......74). Cypsele consulted the oracle, and on the basis of his answer, set to work to make himself master of Corinth (376) which he governed for many years. Thus we have seen that Sophocles does not show imagination when he bases the action of the tragedy Oedipus Rex on the words of the oracle of Delphi. This is entirely consistent with the historical data available for this period of the fifth century BC. WORKS CITEDHerodotus. The Stories. Translated by Aubrey de Sélincourt. England: Penguin Books, 1972. “Sophocles” In Literature of the Western World, edited by Brian Wilkie and James Hurt. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., 1984. Sophocles. Oedipus the King. Trans. by F. Storr.http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/etcbin/browse-mixed new?tag=public&images=images/modeng&data=/texts/english/modeng/parsed&part=0&id=SopOedipus