Oedipus inadvertently touches upon the concept of my question. I think in order to grasp the connection the play has with my speculation sprouts from understanding Sophocles, the playwright of Oedipus. Sophocles, a very influential tragedian at the time was Greek. As proven throughout history, Greeks practiced a very strong faith in the supernatural, and religion was a daily routine of practice. Gods were revered with such importance that most plays, such as Oedipus, were created to honor the Gods, such as Dionysus at an annual event. Even the success of farming, an important source for food, was majorly attributed to the favor of the Gods at the time. Evidently, Greeks including Sophocles had a very strong religous base in their lives. But how is this belief portrayed throughout the story of Oedipus? The recurring battle between man and the gods (the prophecy) is important in addressing Sophocles' tone towards this subject. Prior to the story, King Lauis hears of the prophecy and abondons Oedipus in an attempt to counteract the prophecy. This resistance to the prophecy of Apollo, a Greek god, ultimately leads to the inevitable death of Lauis at the hand of his own son. Later in the story, as Oedipus stands on the throne of his own father, he denies the words of the wise man as he identifies the murderer of of the King is Oedipus himself. This repeated resistance, and negation of the supernatural and the Gods leads to Oedipus' swift decline and crushing realization that he is the murderer of his own father. Sophocles offers a harsh reality throughout Oedipus that disrespecting the knowledge and power of the Gods leads to devastation to all.
This evidence leads me to believe that the story of Oedipus demoralizes disrespecting the supernatural, and emphasizes the superiority of religion over reason.
