Oedipus: The Problem-Solver

In Oedipus Rex, by Sophocles, the age-old confusion of the impact of the free will of man on their seemingly unchanging destiny manifests itself in the scattered emotional war zone that is our protagonist. Oedipus is directly responsible for the fiery mass of rubble that his once joyous life became because he allowed his excessive ego and self worth lead him to a reckless lifestyle of impulsivity and arrogance.

Throughout the tragic tale, the troubled young Oedipus is faced with many opportunities to give in to fate and throw his life away- all of which he accepted and executed proudly. After having been informed of his undesirable fate, the young man finds himself at a crossroads, pestered by another traveler. In a blinding flash of rage, Oedipus murdered the very man he was trying to avoid, as he later recounts to his wife and mother, “My stick had struck him backwards from the car and he rolled out of it. And then I killed them all”. While fully aware of the possibility that he may know not the true identity of his parents, he was not at all concerned that he may fulfill his prophecy in any violent act he commits. Oedipus took the prophecy seriously enough to uproot his life and leave his home in Corinth, but not seriously enough to even attempt to take up a life of pacifism. His misplaced efforts placed before him a choice between a bruised sense of self worth and uncalled for brutality, his inability to discern the difference between a necessary evil and an absurd liability lead him to begin fulfilling his prophecy. Since first discovering the foul outcome the divine had planned for him, Oedipus was disgusted with the thought of marrying and taking to bed his mother, but in a moment of excitement and thoughtlessness he mar...

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...ty of the killer was revealed to Oedipus, he accused Creon of conspiracy even though Creon was the one to give Oedipus power to begin with, and lived with equal power but lesser responsibility. Oedipus’s immediate reaction of contempt towards his brother-in-law drowns the seriousness of the predicament. Instead of using Creon’s power and influence to his use, Oedipus was only convinced at the great turning point and realization of who he really is. It is important to note that even after the catastrophe unfolds, Creon is the one to take Oedipus into private to care for him. Oedipus was thoughtless and blind to the potential impact of his actions, and made decisions based on immediate emotional responses. His impatience and flawed character lead him to commit murder, incest, blasphemy and tyranny and is completely responsible for the terrifying outcome of his life.