This can be seen in Oedipus the King. After Oedipus hears of his destiny from Teiresias that he is going to marry his mother and kill his father, he starts to live in fear that one day his destiny would truly come to light. Oedipus denies all that Teiresias tells him and begins to blame Teiresias and Creon for the death of Laius. Fear leads Oedipus to absurd conclusions. Jocasta tells Oedipus to not fear the bed of his mother but he replied “All that you say would be said perfectly if she were dead; but since she lives I must still fear, although you talk so well, Jocasta”(Sophocles 1075-1077).
Oedipus is once again controlled by this power when he leaves the place of his child hood after he hears that he is to kill his father and marry his mother. "I shall shrink from nothing...to find the the murderer of Laius...You are the murderer..." Oedipus tried to stop the prophecy from coming true by leaving Corinth and only fate can make Oedipus turn to the road where he kills his true father. Leaving Corinth makes Oedipus lose his childhood by making him worry of such issues young people should not have to worry about and becoming a king of a strange land. Last of all, Oedipus carries the last part of the prophecy out, marrying his mother. " I would... never have been known as my mother's husband.
The ancient story documented in the writing Oedipus Tyrannus by Sophocles follows the story of a clever and strong hero who has tragedy befall him. He is fated to kill his father and marry his mother as a result of his father not heeding a warning from the gods. Upon discovering this, Oedipus blinds himself in excruciating guilt, to cut off his senses from the world around him. This guilt is not deserved by Oedipus because he committed the heinous crimes unwittingly he thus, making him innocent of the actions that spurn on the tragic events that occur. While Oedipus possesses some character flaws, they were not conducive to the tragedies that transpire.
Free will is an illusion, as nobody can escape their destiny. Despite attempts to avoid a certain fate, humanity revolves around it. This theory is highlighted throughout Sophocles’ work, including in “Oedipus the King” and in “Antigone”. Oedipus, Creon, Antigone, and Tiresias played major roles in the battle of truth and wisdom. Oedipus tried to escape the prophecy of him killing his father and marrying his mother.
Perhaps the way to cheat fate is simply to accept it. Even before his birth Laius and Jocasta have been told that their son's fate is to kill his father and marry his mother. They are determined to save themselves and decide that Oedipus must be killed before he is old enough to carry out the prophecy. This attempt to beat the gods immediately begins Oedipus' journey to ruin as he grows up in nearby Corinth thinking that his parents are King Polybus and Queen Meropé. By assuming Polybus and Meropé are his true parents Oedipus is in a situation where he can unknowingly kill his true father and marry his true mother.
Imagine the reaction of a couple who received a chilling prophecy from an oracle who declared that their infant was destined to kill his father and marry his mother. Would it be reasonable for a couple murder their child, because of a frightening prophecy? Modern society would be aghast at this disgusting choice, but unfortunately Oedipus’s parents abandoned him, where he was saved by the mercy of others. Fate was against Oedipus, and he inadvertently created a domino effect of tragic choices that would make his parent’s prophecy a reality. Oedipus fled Corinth leading him to kill a disrespectful stranger.
Oedipus' pride pushes him toward his tragic end in the initial journey, when he kills his father, in the episode of the sphinx, and in his adamant search for truth. Pride like that of Oedipus has been the downfall of many great leaders. Oedipus is blinded by his arrogance and won't accept the fact that he can't avoid his fate. His pride first affects him when he is told about what his fate has in-store for him. Oedipus explains to Jocasta that he was told that he "was fated to lie with [his] mother and show to daylight an accursed breed, which men would not endure, and [he] was doomed to be murderer of the father that begot [him].
Their fate was that their son was going to kill his father and marry his mother. To prevent their fate, Jocasta and Laius decided to kill their baby once it was born, but one of the messengers felt bad and gave the baby to a couple that wanted a baby. Growing up Oedipus never knew that his parents were not his biological so parents; so when a prophet told him that he was going to kill his father and marry his mother, he decided to run away. In his journey, he came along a man that did not want to get out his way. They were both very stubborn so Oedipus killed the man and his messengers.
Macbeth decides to go along with Lady Macbeth’s plan and afterwards kills Duncan’s two guards ‘out of rage for what they had done’ all the while he was actually just covering for himself. Duncan’s two sons runaway leaving suspicion and a empty throne meaning Macbeth earns the title of King. Commentary: “These deeds must not be thought after these ways; so, it will make us
In the end Oedipus can only ponder on if things could have been different had he seen the truth earlier on. Without Oedipus’ search for Laius’s killer he may have never the truth of his life. Oedipus kills his farther and marries his mother only to have come to realize his children are his siblings. In horror and despair, he gouges his eyes out and is exiled from Thebes. (shmoop editorial team) Oedipus is actually the son of Laius and Jocasta, the King and Queen of Thebes.