Fate Is The Prophecy In Oedipus The King

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The next example that proves that fate is unavoidable is the prophecy that was for Oedipus. Oedipus was found on the road near Corinth by a man named Polybus and his wife named Merope. Growing up, Oedipus was told from Apollo that he will sleep with his mother, have children with his mother, and kill his father. “Apollo told me once- it is my fate- I must make love with my own mother, shed my father’s blood with my own hands (Oed lines 1091-1092)”. Oedipus was afraid of what Apollo had told him. “Always, terrified Apollo’s oracle might come true (Oed line 1108).” He didn’t want to take the risk and see whether or not the prophecy will come true. This was the reason he left Corinth. Oedipus believed that he was always the son of Polybus growing …show more content…

This means that the son of Laius and Jocasta is the ruler of Thebes; Oedipus slept with his mom, and had children with his mother. This proved that the prophecy directed towards Laius and directed towards Oedipus were true. The part of the prophecy in which Oedipus was to sleep with his mother and Laius’ wife was to sleep with her son. No matter what Laius and Jocasta did, they were unable to prevent the prophecy from becoming true. Abandoning their child appeared to backfire immensely and was not a solution to the problem. In conclusion, while Oedipus feared the prophecies, Laius and Jocasta believed that they were able to change their fate. Oedipus did his absolute best to prevent the prophecy from coming true. Whether it was Oedipus avoiding the prophecy in which he kills his mother, Laius avoiding the prophecy of being killed by his son, or Jocasta avoiding the prophecy of sleeping with and having children with her son, all of the main characters were unable to do so. “Oedipus the King” is a play that demonstrates the unavoidability and inevitability of fate. Sophocles uses great examples to depict the theme of fate and inevitability throughout the play. These examples provided the idea and the theme Sophocles wanted to give to his play writers

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