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“No mortal man, no matter how powerful and wealthy, can be pronounced happy until he is dead; for no man, however wise, knows what tomorrow will bring” (Howard 6). Sophocles’ story of Oedipus Rex is regarded as a masterpiece in the greatest of all Greek tragedies. The tragedy is dominated by the powerful figure of King Oedipus of Thebes. He is considered by many to be the epitome of all tragic figures (Cameron xvi). Sophocles portrays Oedipus as a king who was proud, prosperous, and powerful. His journey in this play moves Oedipus from the quest for a cure from the plague to a search for his own identity (Porter 4). Dramatic irony plays a major part in events that occur, and fate changes Oedipus’ life forever. Ironically, in the end, Sophocles leaves Oedipus a broken man with many positive qualities. As the play begins, Sophocles presents King Oedipus as ruler of Thebes. He was a hero to Thebes because he had rid their city of the cursed Sphinx by solving a riddle. Oedipus is determined to again save Thebes from the devastations of a plague that has come, this time, as a curse because of the death of former King Laius. King Oedipus is married to Queen Jocasta, unknown to him at the time that she is both wif