A strong
thesis is both specific and arguable. For instance, saying that is about
fate is too vague. It's also not really arguable, as nobody is likely to assert that the play is
not about fate. Another non-arguable thesis would be to sayleaves Corinth to avoid the prophecy:
that is a fact within the context of the play, not an opinion.
A more
interesting question to explore might be why the gods would land a man like Oedipus, royal and
seemingly destined for greatness, with such a terrible fate. Assuming the gods are not simply
sadists, why would they do that to a person? What did they expect Oedipus to learn and model
from giving into his fate? If he had accepted it and stayed in Corinth would he have therefore
avoided it? Was his sin trying to outsmart the gods? One possible thesis would be: "The
play's success lies in showing that even the greatest must follow the rules of the universe and
are subject to sorrows." This could lead to a discussion of schadenfreude,...
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