Oedipus Rex - Exploited or Exploiting?Great thinkers throughout history have devised intricate theories of social order. By applying these particular ideologies to literature, we readers are able to see a great work through the eyes of one or many of history's most famous philosophers. Sophocles' Oedipus Rex has been open to many interpretations. With its intricate plot, archetypal tragic character, and lofty social issues, Oedipus Rex offers virtually any interpretation. One of these literary theories is Marxism. Marxism, the sociological belief system created and presented by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, has had a profound influence on Western politics and world sociological theory since its introduction in the mid-19th century. During this time, the era of industrialization was in full swing and many workers were exploited and forced to work unreasonable hours. Marx noted that in this society the wealthy upper classes benefited from the enormous lower class. In response to these observations, Marx developed a set of ideals in which one faction of people could not dominate another. The cornerstone of this sociological and economic theory is the firm belief that “a superior class emerges to dominate a working class of unconscious individuals” (Cole 76). To counteract this negative trend, a society must free itself from the caste-like class system that divides its people into different economic and social levels. Marxists argue that in a democratic or monarchical society two main classes arise: the bourgeoisie, or exploiters, and the Proletariat, or exploited. Marx and Engels believed that the upper class (the bourgeoisie) controlled the financial situation with a paper system. However, in recent history, this political theory has been almost totally refuted by modern ideas and new edicts. In today's society, classes still exist, but in virtually all industrialized countries the middle class overwhelmingly dominates all other factions. Much of this sociological triumph can be attributed to the insight of Karl Marx and his colleagues who presented the idea that the common man should be the ultimate focus of a society. Works Cited and Consulted Cole, GDH The Meaning of Marxism. Ann Arbor: U of Michigan P, 1964. Frow, John. Marxism and literary history. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard UP, 1986. Kumar, Amitava. Classroom issues, pedagogy, cultural studies and the public sphere. New York: New York UP, 1997. Peck, John and Martin Coyle. Literary terms and criticism. Hong Kong: Macmillan , 1984.