In the ironic story of Oedipus Rex, Oedipus, the king of Thebes, is an ignorant man, one with an extremely violent nature. Even though he is somewhat intelligent, his ignorance can be easily seen. Oedipus has no truthful knowledge of where he came from, who he is meant to be, or the identity of his true parents. When instructed to investigate the crime of the murder of King Laius, not having the slightest suspicion that the reason for this tragic occurrence is actually his own doing makes his ignorance apparent. In addition to Oedipus' ignorance, he is also a very violent person. The violent nature of his character is far worse than any normal man, making him the type of person whom nobody would want to witness distressed. The violence of Oedipus is shown by his reaction to the insult and painful strike he received from the King and his entourage as they were approaching the crossroad between Delphi, Thebes, and Corinth.
Cadmus Sowing the Dragon's teeth, by Maxfield Parr...
Oedipus and the Sphinx of Thebes, Red Figure Kylix...
Oedipus complex: Oedipus explains the riddle of th...Again his violence is triggered when he learns the prophecy foretold by the Oracle is the unvarnished truth, forcing him to deliver a cruel punishment upon himself for his disgraceful actions. In the end, Oedipus' miserable fate did do some good. He realized the error of his ways, making him a less violent and a much wiser individual.