Oedipus Fate

It is what is destined to happen or what is supposed to turn out. It is beyond anyone’s control. It is fate. The concept of fate interferes with King Oedipus’ life by controlling his actions. Oedipus the king, the son of Jocasta and Laius is sent away because Laius was told that his son would kill him and marry his wife. Fortunately, he was saved by a shepherd and raised by king Polybus and Queen Merope. King Oedipus ends up back in Thebes and solves the riddle from of the Sphinx. Unintentionally, he kills his biological father, marries his biological mother, Jocasta, and together they have children. Once Jocasta and Oedipus realize that the prophecy is true, Jocasta kills herself and Oedipus stabs himself in the eye and is exiled. In the play

Oedipus suspects that Creon may have killed Laius and he asks him questions about the day Laius got murdered. They go back and forth blaming each other on the death of the king and Oedipus yells, “You cannot prove me guilty of blood” (Sophocles, 41). Oedipus is outraged by Creon’s words of frustration, where he blames Oedipus for the death of King Laius. Oedipus is completely confused as to how he could possibly kill his own father without knowing. His anger towards the situation proves that he did not intend to kill his father; rather, fate kicked in and dictated his actions. After Jocasta and Oedipus exchange their stories about their prophecies and understand that their fate has actually come true, Oedipus cries, “May I be sooner dead And blotted from the face of earth, than live To bear the scars of such vile circumstances “ (Sophocles, 48). Oedipus is authentically sorry for killing his father and shows this by being angry with himself. He accepts the idea that he will have consequences and take responsibility for the death of Laius. By showing feelings of sorrow and disappointment in himself, Oedipus demonstrates that he is a caring person. He did not purposely murder King Laius and it only happened because Oedipus’ fate could not be stopped at any

The priest describes to Oedipus that there is a plague destroying the city of Thebes. Recalling Oedipus' recent triumph over the Sphinx, the priest begs the king to save Thebes once more and says, “Therefore, O greatest of men, Restore our city to life. Have a care for your fame. Your diligence saved us once” (Sophocles, 26). Everyone in the city of Thebes knows Oedipus’ potential as a king. He is a smart man and frankly the only man who was able to solve the sphinx. The play concludes with a statement claimed by the chorus. The chorus says, “behold: this was Oedipus, Greatest of men; he help the key to the deepest mysteries” (Sophocles, 68). The chorus presents King Oedipus is a bright man who solved the “deepest mysteries.” Cleverness is one of the most important qualities in a king and Oedipus has proven to be smart. Both the Priest and the Chorus admit that he is intelligent and the rest of the city agrees with them. Being brilliant is not part of his unlucky prophecy; so, solving the sphinx is an action which Oedipus had some control over. Oedipus portrays a smart king who solves a challenging riddle and he should be judged for this action which is not controlled by his