In Oedipus at Colonus there are three main themes of the work: prophecy, guilt and death. Each of them is part of the unfolding of Oedipus' life. The prophecy said that he had been the murderer of his father and had married his mother, and how he felt guilty for having committed these acts, gouging out his own eyes; and how after his family disowned him, he wanted him to help them knowing that whoever was on Oedipus' side would win the war. Also, the place where Oedipus' body should be buried after his death. What is a prophecy, you ask? Well, a prophecy is a prediction of something to come. For example, how your life will go and how it will end. In the plays of Oedipus the King, Oedipus at Colonus and Antigone, Oedipus' life is told by an old blind prophet. Oedipus goes to the prophet to find a cure for the city, as the city has a plague. This old blind prophet, Tiresis, refuses to tell Oedipus about the healing. At some point I think the prophet would have told Oedipus how to save the city, which he would have done. But not the prophet. The king becomes angry, causing Tiresias to state that he, Oedipus, will pollute the city and that he will be the murderer of Laius. Tiresias, the prophet, is accused of being in league with Creon to try to usurp his throne. He then kills his father and marries his mother. I think Oedipus should have realized that Creon was just trying to replace him, in the end Creon gets what he deserves. When he visits the prophet Tiresias, he learns that he has adopted him. It turns out that Oedipus was the unknown man who killed Laius from the revelation that the old king was killed at the same crossroads that Oedipus remembers from his battle. Furthermore, it is revealed that Oedipus was the child Jocas...... middle of paper ......k years to understand that what he did was wrong and with his guilt, takes away his sight. As he climbs this hill to find some peace, he becomes a prophet and predicts the death of Polyneices, which he accepts as his own death. At the end of his life Oedipus will have a peaceful death and will protect the city of Athens. I think the three themes of this play show that no matter how much someone tries to predict their life, it will always be in the hands of fate. And something greater than Oedipus wants what is best for him, as if the gods would grant him a peaceful death. Works Cited Edmunds, Lowell (1981). The Sphinx in the Oedipus legend. Konigstein im Taunus: Hain. ISBN 3-445-02184-8.Sophocles (trans. R. Fagles), The Theban Plays, Penguin Books, 1984LitCharts Editors. “LitChart on Oedipus at Colonus.” LitCharts.com. LitCharts LLC. 2014. Web. 1 April. 2014