Oedipus The King Fate Analysis

Famous Greek playwright, Sophocles, in his unmistakable play, Oedipus the King, tells the tragic story of Oedipus, its eponymous protagonist, and his eventual downfall. Sophocles presents a story in startling fashion -- one which directly addresses a quintessential component of Greek literature: fate. His purpose in doing so is to show the ramifications of excessive pride (also known as hubris) and the dramatic way in which fate is carried out as a result of hubris thereof. He formulates a fatalistic and uneasy tone throughout the story in order to convince the reader of Oedipus' futility in trying to avoid his fate. Fate is irrevocably vital to the overall infrastructure of Greek literature, especially within Oedipus the King, as the gods

within Greek literature are invariably disapproving of pride or opulence of any kind. By the end of the story, Oedipus is effaced of any degree of power he once held in a gruesome display. Oedipus' ultimate downfall is undoubtedly unsettling and visceral, but when one begins to analyze various arguments surrounding fate and free will in Greek literature, a more thought-provoking and introspective question is spawned: was Oedipus' downfall preordained?
Oedipus was a very prideful man and demonstrably exhibited hubris in his life; Oedipus' hubris manifests and divulges itself throughout the story within his demeanor, sociability, and personality. However, there are various other traits Oedipus possesses that either influence or are
a result of Oedipus' pride, such as his volatile temper or haste.

To give context, he is largely prideful because of solving the notorious Sphinx's riddle and saving the city of Thebes, the city in which he rules as king. Once he assumes his position as king, Oedipus is dubbed as the "savior of the country" (line 60) by the citizens of Thebes; he even declares himself to be "Apollo's champion" (line 155). Oedipus internalizes the notion of him being an exemplary figure and fully demonstrates this as he delivers powerful speeches with zest, bravado, and confidence -- almost bordering the overindulgent. On numerous instances throughout the story, Oedipus declares his name to those around him; at certain points he even places himself on a startlingly similar level as the gods (although this could be inadvertent or unconscious) which can be seen as impious or irreverent toward the gods. For example, "Here I am myself -- you all know me, the world knows my fame: I am Oedipus" (lines 7-9) demonstrates this, as does the following quote: "You pray to the gods? Let me grant your prayers" (line 245). These quotations adequately provide contextual evidence for Oedipus' hubris; Oedipus is consumed within his own pride and cannot comprehend the nuance of him being wrong, even when the odds are stacked against him. Animosity ensues when Tiresias states that Oedipus is Laius' murderer, Creon has wild and illogical accusations thrown at him by Oedipus when he becomes increasingly paranoid. Oedipus' unyielding stubbornness and pride overwhelm and override the actual direness of the situation, causing him to either underestimate or even dismiss the situation as a whole, which serves as one of many facets to his eventual

downfall.
Oedipus' hubris is indubitably his tragic flaw because it does ultimately cause his downfall; however, Oedipus is not the only one guilty of hubris in regard to defying the gods -- his mother and father attempted to adulterate his fate as well. Laius, Oedipus' father, deliberately infringed upon the will of the gods by making an effort to ensure Oedipus dies, as seen by the quote: "...the
boy's father fastened his ankles, had a henchman fling him away on a barren, trackless mountain" (lines 791-793). When the oracle's prophecy is revealed to Oedipus in Corinth, his very first reaction is to flee from it -- to intervene against the will of the gods, the most revered and feared figures present in the totality of Greek mythology. While Oedipus is in Delphi, Apollo states to him: "You are fated to couple with your mother...you will kill your father, the one who gave you life!" (lines 873, 875). Oedipus explains to Jocasta that he "heard all that day and ran..." and "abandoned Corinth" for fear of this stunning prophecy (line 876). Even Jocasta is afraid of the impending prophecy given to Oedipus and orchestrates the attempt to kill him so as to prevent the aforementioned prophecy from being fulfilled. Through the cultural scope of how the Greeks perceived matters relating to ontology and philosophy, being defiant toward the gods -- the most divine moral authorities -- was an act of blasphemy in itself; the gods were legalistic and highly intolerant of those who were prideful. Because Oedipus is acting outside of the gods' will, he is not exempt from their punishment. Toward the end of the story, the various clues -- overt and subtle -- begin to reveal themselves and yet, Oedipus is still externally denying it, perhaps to preserve his image. Oedipus acknowledges the situation at hand and the striking similarity between the alleged murder of King Laius and his past experience at the crossroads (between lines 884 and 898), yet is still blind to what is readily apparent; when Oedipus finally experiences the unsettling revelation of the prophecy being legitimate, he succumbs to utter agony and accepts his catastrophic mistake. In the end, the very thing that cost Oedipus everything -- his fate -- turned out to be exactly what he was running from. This is where a key argument rears its head within Greek literature and all of life as a whole: the "fate versus free will" argument.
In Greek literature, fate is treated as a concrete reality. Oedipus is a man with faults, faults that cost him his position as king, the lives of his mother and father, and his own eyesight. However, because of the role that fate played in Greek literature, one may argue that not only was Oedipus' downfall preordained, but the events leading up to it as well; furthermore, this argument would therefore make Oedipus nothing more than a mere pawn, subject to whatever the gods' will happens to be. This argument is rational and cohesive in correlating with the Greek idea of fatalism, but would also identify Oedipus as a blameless victim, not a man formed by the result of his actions. Granted, it is observed that Oedipus did, in fact, kill his father (lines 898 and 1424) and couple with his mother, but it is unclear as to knowing whether or not his intentions were unadulterated or uninfluenced to begin with. With the evidence presented, however, one can conclude that Oedipus' ultimate downfall was a result of the gods' preordainment. The shepherd plainly and explicitly told Oedipus: "If you are the man he says you are, believe me, you were born for pain." (line 1304, 1305), and Oedipus clearly states near the end of the story that Apollo "ordained" his pain and suffering (line 1468). Oedipus cries out: "Wasn't I born for torment?" (line 910), which can implicitly give more reason to believe this; various quotes within the story, such as: "An oracle came to Laius one fine day...and it said that doom would strike him down at the hands of a son, our son..." (lines 785-788) provide more contextual evidence for this assertion. It remains debatable when exactly the gods' intervention begins to negatively impact Oedipus, seeing how he was allowed to kill Laius but later solve the Sphinx's riddle and become prosperous; one could argue that the gods are simply arbitrary.
Oedipus' overwhelming hubris was his hamartia, and it did end up initiating a terrible chain of events that eventually led to his ultimate downfall. His crass relations with others, volatile temper, and inability to see past himself clouded his judgement and decision-making to
the point of shortsightedness, stubbornness, and rash anger. However, his downfall was not due exclusively to his pride alone; the gods played a major role here in preordaining and orchestrating Oedipus' demise through various facets. Their punishment was swiftly exacted upon Oedipus because of his hubris, which also brings about the issue of fate and free will within Greek literature. Despite any argument or rationalization, however, Oedipus' flaw was indisputably and evidently his pride, as this is demonstrated numerous times throughout the story both directly and otherwise. However, with the evidence presented, it remains clear that Oedipus' downfall was preordained and predetermined by the gods in Oedipus the King.