The poet and scholar Robert Graves wrote in 1995: “Myth has two main functions. The first is to answer the kinds of awkward questions kids ask themselves, like "Who created the world?" How will it end? Who was the first man? Where do souls go after death?'... The second function of myth is to justify an existing social system and account for traditional rites and customs. Oedipus Rex written by Sophocles in 430 BC focuses on the second function noted by Graves. The work has existed for centuries, has evoked psychological theories and will remain a classic. Sophocles managed to touch on social, ethical, psychological and, above all, philosophical issues in a single play. Perhaps one of the best known psychologists, Freud, was able to develop the theory that every child wants to sleep with his mother and kill his father. This is called the “Oedipus complex”. Oedipus the King tests all of the reader's psychological boundaries by evoking self-identification through the tragic concept of fate and using the literary tool of the chorus to internalize all emotions. The play begins with the destruction of Oedipus' city, Thebes. The citizens seek out their king, Oedipus, to resolve the matter as he had done with the Sphinx in the past. At this point Oedipus' brother, Creon, returns with the news of the oracle. In order for the plague to be eradicated from the city, Laius' murderer had to be discovered and punished. As king, Oedipus curses the undiscovered murder and promises to punish it. As a means of help, Oedipus sends for Tiresias, the blind prophet of the city. This is where the premonition begins. In an attempt to protect Oedipus, the prophet does not reveal what he saw in his visions. Oedipus......middle of the paper......the writing will engage the reader on a personal level, allowing them to act out scenarios. Works Cited Delcayre, Celine. "The dynamics of the Greek chorus in ancient and contemporary theatre". Sonoma.edu. Np, March 21, 2012. Web. November 6, 2013. "Greek Mythology." History.com. A&E Television Networks, May 3, 2011. Web. November 6, 2013. Naiburg, Suzi. "Between Fate and Destiny: Oedipus and Reactive Certainty in Study." ProQuest. Np, 01 August 2006. Web. 4 November 2013. Sophocles. "Oedipus the King." The Bedford Compact Introduction to Literature: Reading, Thinking, Writing. By Michael Meyer. Boston, Massachusetts: Bedford/St. Martin, 2000. 1125-166. Print.Vernant, Jean Pierre. and Pierre Vidal-Naquet. Myth and tragedy. New York: Zone, 1988. Print.Zachrisson, Anders. “Oedipus Rex: Quest for Self-Knowledge.” ProQuest. Np, 2013. Web. 4 November. 2013.