Oedipus Rex Fate Vs Free Will

I would have to say that fate ended up being responsible for the tragedy of Oedipus in the play Oedipus Rex. I think fate played a huge role in the tragedy of Oedipus. Oedipus says, “As for the criminal, I pray to God-whether it be a lurking thief, or one of a number-I pray that that man’s life be consumed in evil and wretchedness. And as for me, this curse applies no less if it should turn out that the culprit is my guest here, sharing my hearth”(48). The fate in this is that Oedipus is wishing evil and wretchedness on the person who killed King Laios. Oedipus even says that he does not care if the killer is one of his friends they will still get the same treatment as anyone else would. Oedipus is the one who killed King Laios so he is wishing all of this evil and wretchedness on his self.

Another example of

Teiresias says, “Listen to me. You mock my blindness, do you? But I say that you, with both your eyes, are blind: you can not see the wretchedness of your life, no,nor with whom. Who are your father and mother? Can you tell me? You do not even know the blind wrongs that you have done them, on earth and in the world below. But the double lash of your parents’ curse will whip you out of this land some day, with only night upon your precious eyes. Your cries then-where will they not be heard? What fastness of Kithairon will not echo them? And that bridal-descant of yours- you’ll know it then, the song they sang when you came here to Thebes and found your misguided berthing. All this, and more, that you can not guess at now, will bring you to yourself among your children”(51). Teiresias is telling Opedipus that he has done a lot of bad things in his lifetime and will one day have to pay for them. He also tells Opedipus that Opedipus has done some bad things to his parents and that he doesn’t even realize what he has done and that all of is wrong doings will haunt him for a very long