erves as a lesson to others. The importance of oedipus is seen in the way his troubles become reflected in the lives of the people he rules and in the city itself. The plague that is besieging the city is caused by the crime committed by Oedipus. The people come to Oedipus to ask that he do something to save them because he has the power in their eyes:
Act now--we beg of you, best of men, raise up our city!
Act, defend yourself, your former glory!
for your zeal, your action years ago.
Never let us remember of your reign:
you helped us stand, only to fall once more (lines 56-61).
With single-minded dedication, Oedipus sets out to discover who the culprit is, but he does not believe the answer when it is given to him by Teiresias, that he himself is the source of all the problems facing the city.
Oedipus is certainly punished with gr
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