A Tale of Unescapable Fate in Oedipus Rex
A Tale of Unescapable Fate in Oedipus Rex
Sophocles’ Oedipus the King is one of the most peculiar and intriguing works in of the ancient Greek era. Undoubtedly, the title character Oedipus is faced with an unbelievably harsh situation. He leaves his kingdom behind in order to avoid the fate that was foretold to him, only to end up enduring it anyway. Oedipus is dealt with a debilitating fate, and the reader of Sophocles’ epic must realize that it is not Oedipus’ own choices or desires that lead to his demise, but rather the cruel fate that is dealt to him by the gods.
The initial argument that a reader must consider is that Oedipus had some control over his future, and that his desire for power and kingdom are what essentially lead to his demise. The reader can argue that Oedipus was a selfish ruler who cared merely about his own advance. The reader could interpret his statement, “Yet your grief, / however great, is not so great as mine” (Oedipus the King, 63-4), as being a guise to gain sympathy and popularity to the crowd. At the beginning of the play, the reader is unable to get an accurate reading of the true character of Oedipus. He could be a power hungry ruler, who knew the truth about his fate, and hid the reality from his kingdom. The reader can reject this notion as the chorus reveals in lines 1140-50, that the throne and Jocasta were given to Oedipus as a reward for ending the long terror that the Sphinx had lashed upon the kingdom of Thebes. We can also reaffirm Oedipus’ commitment to the kingdom through his willingness to carry out his decree that Laius’ murder shall be banished from Thebes (Oedipus the King, 216-7), even after he realizes that he is the murderer. Oedipus is certainly not at any fault of character for the fate that he must endure.
Perhaps the reader can argue that Jocasta should have been able to control the situation. There are many mistakes that she makes, in avoiding the future that the Oracle foresees. First, Jocasta and Laius could have overseen the execution of the infant Oedipus, and refrained from having any other children. While they do refrain from bearing any more children, the reader must question why they do not kill the infant themselves or at least make sure that the...