Who Is Oedipus Responsible For His Fate

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Oedipus is a fascinatingly cruel story of what happens out of ignorance. Oedipus’s ignorance is his innocence until he became wise- and as a result, wasted. Some might think that this is entirely the gods fault, but I don’t believe so. I think that Oedipus is partially responsible for his ignorance, and it isn’t all just fate. Fate is the result of our free will. We might not want to recognize our fate, but it will happen nonetheless because of our actions. Oedipus’s actions, done in innocence, are preordained by the fates, though he is nonetheless responsible for them. Also, his rage at injustice is an epic flaw of his. This same rage led him to kill the king (because the king had been bullying him) and to curse the killer of Laius (himself).
Oedipus, at the beginning of the story, is a just, honorable king who wants to discover the murderer of the …show more content…

He even tells the messenger, “Old man, I did not wish to kill my father” (1129). What he didn’t realize is that he had already done so and fulfilled the prophecy that he so feared and fled from. Even though his actions had been done in innocence, he is still responsible, it is still his fault that he killed the king. Furthermore, it is also his fault that he married his mother, even though he had no idea that it is his mother.
In conclusion, Oedipus has a very messed up story of how the combination of his ignorance and his epic flaws of desiring justice and passion for his people led to his downfall. Although his actions are done out of ignorance and seem fine at the time, he is still responsible for them and their long term effect. You can never escape fate and the penalty for your actions. This tragedy is quite ironic: at the beginning of the day, he is a fiery man ready to bring justice to a killer. By the end of the day, he is a miserable man, ready to join his wife/mother in

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