Fate In Oedipus Rex

In the beginning of the play Oedipus meets Laios on a road. Both were driving chariots and neither would yield the right of way. Laios attempts to kill Oedipus’ horses but Oedipus reacts fast killing Laios attendants and his own father, Laios. Oedipus went to Thebes to help and destroy a monster and bless their town. Because of his heroic act, Thebes recalls him again to help and find the murderer who killed their king Laios and punish the man. Oedipus goes and does everything he can to get evidence and find the man who killed Laios the king: “Is this your prayer? It may be answered. Come, Listen to me, act as the crisis demands… Until now I was a stranger to this tale, As I had been a stranger to the crime. Could I track the murderer without a clue?” (Sophocles 1. 1. 204 - 209). Teiresias, a chorus of Theban, elders tells Oedipus he is the murder who killed his father and also mentions he married his own mother along with having children. Oedipus finds all of that to believe and what Oedipus does is find more people to tell him the truth. Jocaste, wife and mother of Oedipus, tells him through the play to not believe such a thing. In Act three Scene five, Shepherd the man, who took Oedipus to Corinth city’s reveals to him that everything is true. Oedipus makes the decision to gouge his eyes out making himself blind to not see the whole catastrophe. He begs Creon to send him away from Theban

However Jocasta stands up for Creon and Oedipus agrees to banish him. Oedipus complains to Jocasta about Creon. Afterward Jocasta tries to calm Oedipus down by telling him prophecies can be false or backfire. Finally Oedipus agrees with Jocasta to wait to hear shepherd's testimony. As a result People are doubting the oracle and the gods.

It is the responsibility of man to take ownership of his destiny which separates the human condition for that of other earthly beasts. From birth, Oedipus, the tragic hero of Sophocles’ Greek Tragedy Oedipus Rex, is destined to kill his father and marry his mother. Although by the opening act of the play, Oedipus has earned the throne of Thebes for solving the riddle of the Sphinx, the eponymous character is unaware that he has already fulfilled his prophecy. Meanwhile, the people of Thebes are dying of a plague that will only end when the unknown murderer of Laius, the previous Theban King, is punished. Through retrospection, Oedipus believes that he might be responsible for Laius death and is told that the King and Queen of Corinth who

Fate is defined as the development of events beyond a person’s control. In “Oedipus the King,” Sophocles, tells us about a tragic hero (Oedipus) in which his life is predetermined by fate, because he is deprived of free will. The first act of fate on Oedipus was him being saved by a shepherd when his parents (Queen Jocasta and King Laius) left him in the mountains to die, he then met and killed his father without knowing who he was, and last, he married Queen Jocasta, later realizing that she was his mother. Every action that Oedipus took to prevent his fate, would soon be the ultimate downfall, not only for himself, but for his family and the people of Thebes.

Creon returns and says that Thebes must find the murderer of the former king. Oedipus seeks for information, regarding the murder of Laius. Oedipus welcomes Teresius, the oracle, to come to his palace, but Teresius regrets it immediately. He says that Oedipus is the cause of the Black Plague, and Oedipus says that Teresius is committing treason with Creon. Then, Oedipus accuses Creon of treason, but Creon defends himself. Jocasta,

The messenger remarks that Oedipus need not worry, because Polybus and his wife, Merope, are not Oedipus’s biological parents. The messenger, a shepherd by profession, knows firsthand that Oedipus came to Corinth as an orphan. One day long ago, he was tending his sheep when another shepherd approached him carrying a baby, its ankles pinned together. The messenger took the baby to the royal family of Corinth, and they raised him as their own. That baby was Oedipus. Oedipus asks who the other shepherd was, and the messenger answers that he was a servant of Laius.

Oedipus, outraged at the accusation, denounces it as a plot of Creon to gain the throne. Jocasta appears just in time to avoid a battle between the two men. Seers, she assures Oedipus, are not infallible. To prove her point she cites the old prophecy that her son should kill his father and have children by his mother. She prevented its fulfillment, she confesses, by abandoning their infant son in the mountains. As for Laius, he had been killed by robber’s years later at the junction of three roads on the route to Delphi.

As fate would play out Oedipus was taken to the Corinth and raised by Polybius and Merope king and queen on Corinth. While Oedipus was there he found about his fate and to spare his mother and father he fled Corinth. Little did Oedipus know that they were not his actual parents. Oedipus ended up killing his father on the crossroads and went on to marry his mother Jocasta. As the play unravels Jocasta and Oedipus are married and a plague has hit Thebes. The only way to rid the plague is for Oedipus to find and banish the killer of Laius. As Oedipus tries to unravel this mystery and clues start to unravel it seems that Oedipus might be the son of Laius completing the prophecy that the oracle claimed. Jocasta is starting to realize that Oedipus is her son. She seems she might be afraid to lose power and doesn’t want Oedipus to find out the truth. She attempts to stop Oedipus from figuring out the mystery but Oedipus being hubris decided to go through with it to find out the prophecy was true and he had already completed it. Jocasta couldn’t bear to live with this and hung herself, whereas Oedipus gouged his eyes out and banished himself from Thebes.

The messenger reveals that Polybus and his wife are not Oedipus’s real parents. Oedipus was brought to palace to be raised after being found by a Sheppard. Oedipus asks that this shepherd reveal the truth to him, but Jocasta begins to beg him not to stop to try and find out the truth. The Sheppard finally reveals that Oedipus is son of Laius. Oedipus screams when he realizes the truth about his parents. A messenger says Jocasta has hanged herself, and Oedipus has chosen to stab out his eyes. Oedipus now declares he must be punished and exiled. He asks Creon to look after his daughters, Antigone and Ismene. Creon accepts the ascendency to the throne.

    From the beginning of this play, Oedipus made many risky actions that will take him to his downfall. Out of empathy for his suffering people, he had Creon go to Delph as he could have waited for the plague to end instead. "Upon the murderer I invoke this curse- whether he is one man and all unknown, or one of many- may he wear out his life in misery or doom! If with my knowledge he lives at my hearth, I pray that I myself may feel my curse.” (Sophocles, 477; lines 266-271) Other than just finding clues to the murderer of King Laius, Oedipus summons a terrible curse on them. Without knowledge of who it could be yet, he is actually putting the curse on himself. When Oedipus was told that he was responsible for the murder of Laius, he threatens Teiresias, becomes enraged, calls the old oracle a liar, and ignores everything the oracle says. “If a man walks with

Creon says Thebes must find and punish kings murderer.People are doubting oracle and gods. Herald from Corinth tells Jocasta about polybus death and Corinthians want Oedipus to be there King.Oedipus finds out about polybus death and he didn't kill him.Oedipus still fears prophecy though.Herald tells Oedipus that meropi and polybus are NOT his parents.Herald testifies to Oedipus ountity.Jocasta feels horror as she realizes the truth of Oedipus identity and she wants to protect him. Herald identifies Shepard relvorently shares past events like Oedipus real parents. Oedipus realizes the truth.The attendant says that Jocasta hung herself.oedipus stabs his eyes out.oedipus suffers as he processes the truth and his

The theme is further developed now that Oedipus’ choices have brought him to be King of Thebes, while Jocasta’s choices will soon bring forth her demise. The kingdom is reigned by plague and Oedipus will not stop until the people of Thebes are safe. The King learns that in order to ameliorate Thebes they must find a single transgressor and have him condemned. King Oedipus even goes as far as condemning himself to the perils of the world if he is the one guilty of the crime; the crime being, the murder of the previous King, Laios, “ Whoever killed King Laios might--who knows?-- Lay violent hands even on me--and soon. I act for the murdered king in my own interest (1262; Prologue).” Due to dramatic irony the reader may already dictate where this story leads, unfortunately this does not hold true for Oedipus and much to his dismay it is finally understood upon a visit from the Shepherd that saved his life. “They said it was Laius’s child;

Throughout Oedipus The King, Oedipus embarks on a journey to realize that he is the murderer of his father, Laius, and husband to his mother, Jocasta, making him a victim of what seems to be an inevitable fate. What makes this more tragic is that Oedipus, a seemingly good leader, tries to avoid his fate, but instead keeps inviting it over. Violating the word of gods and doing things in excess shows Oedipus’ pride that leads to his hubris. Because of his hubris, Oedipus brings his fate upon himself. In this way, fate is connected to the traits of Oedipus, known as hamartia, instead of it being a divine thing. Oedipus can’t escape his fate because it is a part of him; no matter where he goes and what he tries to do, it will always be there. Fate seems beyond anyone’s control and more of the will of gods, but Oedipus’ fate is found within his personality. Moreover, Oedipus’ traits are not something that he can control. He did not choose to let his ego take control and ultimately determine the course of his life. This means that it was inherited by the choices others made, or just by luck. Basically, fate determines Oedipus’ hubris and his hubris leads to hamartia, an element of fate. This connection between his hubris and hamartia shows that what can make him a good leader goes downfall when it becomes excessive. This is what Oedipus is blind to and does not realize. His pride that comes to identify him and makes him a hero to everyone becomes too much and is the same thing that leads to his downfall.

Because of his commitment to his people and their suffering, he sent his brother-in-law, Creon, to Delphi to see the gods to find out why his city is under such a great plague and what he can do to stop it. Creon returns and says, “… It was murder that brought the plague-wind on the city” and that it was King Laios that was murdered years ago (Prologue, 104-105). Vowing to bring the murderer to justice and being a just King, Oedipus decrees that if the murderer reveals himself he will not be killed, he will be exiled. This determination and tenaciousness was the beginning of the end of King Oedipus.

Aware of a terrible curse that has befallen Thebes, Oedipus sends his brother-in-law, Creon, to seek the advice of Apollo. Creon informs Oedipus that the curse can only be prevented if the murderer of Laius, who was the former king; is found and prosecuted. Laius was murdered several years ago at a crossroads.