Oedipus: Fate vs Free Will as the Major Theme

In Sophocles' tragic play, 'Oedipus Rex,' the central theme revolves around the eternal debate between fate and free will. Oedipus, the tragic hero, grapples with his predetermined destiny while simultaneously attempting to assert his autonomy and make choices that will shape his life. In the play 'Oedipus' the theme of fate vs free will is analysed in the essay, we will explore how Oedipus navigates the boundaries of his agency and the inevitability of his predestined downfall.

King Oedipus: the Debate of Fate VS Free Will 

The play begins with the prophecy that Oedipus is destined to kill his father and marry his mother. This prophecy, delivered by the oracle, sets the wheels of fate in motion. Oedipus, upon hearing the prophecy, strives to escape his foretold destiny, believing that by exercising his free will, he can alter the course of events. However, his attempts to avoid the prophecy inadvertently lead him closer to its fulfillment.

In Sophocles play, King Oedipus is a victim of fate and there was no way he could avoid his destiny. As a child, King Laius and Jocasta consulted an priest, who told them that their son would one day murder his father and marry his mother. In an attempt to avoid fate, Laius and Jocasta fastened a rope around Oedipus's ankles and gave him to a servant to leave in the mountains. However, the servant took pity on the child and gave him to a Shepard, who presented him to King Polybus and Queen Merope in Corinth. Oedipus was raised in Corinth under the impression that Polybus was his biological father. After hearing the same prophecy regarding his fate, Oedipus believed that he could outsmart the gods and avoid his destiny by escaping Corinth.

Oedipus left Corinth went to Thebes. On his journey he ran into a caravan at the crossroads before entering Thebes. This caravan was of the present King of Thebes, Laius, but Oedipus did not know that. The people on the caravan started insulting Oedipus. Oedipus lost his temper and in a rage he killed them all, except for one servant who escaped .

There was no way that Oedipus could of known that this stranger was his father, he had never met or seen him ever before that one time. After Oedipus finished killing his father, he continued on his journey to the city of Thebes. When he arrived at Thebes there was a wide-spread plague in the city. In order to free the city of this plague you had to solve the riddle that came with it, the riddle of the Sphinkx. Oedipus was clever enough to solve the riddle, which in turn cured the city of the plague. The city was recently missing a king so they made him the king. In the palace there was Jocasta a recent widow of the missing king. So, Oedipus married the widow Jocasta. The city was happy with their king for the next years, Jocasta and Oedipus had two daughters. Then another dark cloud came over Thebes, there was another plague infecting the city. An Priest was contacted and the way to solve this riddle was to banish the killer of the former king Laius from the city. Oedipus in the process of solving the riddle Oedipus found out that Jocasta was his is real mother and the men he killed before entering Thebes was his real father. When Jocasta finds this out she commits suicide and Oedipus punish himself by tore his own eyes out.

Conclusion

In 'Oedipus Rex,' Sophocles weaves a complex tapestry of fate and free will, leaving the audience pondering the nature of human agency and the influence of destiny. The debate of Oedipus fate vs free will was revealed in the essay: Oedipus, while attempting to exercise his free will, finds himself entangled in the web of fate, ultimately succumbing to his tragic end. Oedipus is a tragic hero because he is a king whose life falls apart when he finds out his life story. He is the reason for his own downfall and his fate is not deserved.