The Importance Of Destiny In Oedipus Rex

Throughout the beginning of history and religion fate had always been controlled by a higher power who had then have it to a prophet to then give it to the reciprocal the gods had been trying to reach. In the play “Oedipus Rex” by Sophocles the characters though having a horrible destiny where not in control of it, seeing as how their fate was beyond their control. If they had been in control then they would have choosen a different destiny. This play shows how the characters suffered for unintentionally committing their sins, proving that their crimes do not match their disproportionate punishment. Though the characters fulfilled their appalling destiny their fate was beyond their control. In the play it had been made clear that the characters

“…[Oedipus] never saw, [n]or knew what he did when he became [his kids] father.”(Sophocles, 1485-1486). The gods are not only punishing Oedipus of the crimes of his parents, but also Oedipus’s kids since “[t]he scandal [will] cling to all [his] children.”(Sophocles, 1494). Not only did Oedipus have to suffer the loss of sight and his mother, but also the knowledge that “..for [his children]; [their] days, can only end in fruitless maidenhood,”(Sophocles, 1498-1499), all because he had no control over his fate, to control the actions the gods had set for him. Though Jocasta’s and Laius’s children and grandchildren had nothing to do with their sins, the god’s had punished both generations. The gods were not punishing Oedipus for conducting treasonous acts with his mother and father but instead because they had wanted to make a fool of Oedipus which is why they had him decree to the citizens of Thebes that for the person who murdered Lauis “[their] fate will be nothing worse [t]han banishment.”(Sophocles, 228-229). The gods knew that Oedipus would fulfill his fate since he was born, which leads one to believe that they must have also known that Oedipus would

Though the gods controlled the characters’ lives it had been the limited free will of the characters to choose the path that would ultimately lead to their demise. This is demonstrated when Oedipus heard that “[he] was foredoomed to make [his] mother [his] wide, and kill [his] father, with [his] own hands shedding his [fathers] blood.”(Sophocles, 1005-1007) “[... Oedipus] fled away, putting the stars [b]etween [him] and Corinth, never to see home again, that no such horror should ever come to pass. (Sophocles, 796-797). Not wanting to be a victim of his fate, Oedipus had left the home of his parents because he had not wanted to kill the people he thought to be his parents. It was his free will that had lead him to Thebes. If Oedipus had wanted to fulfill his prophecy he would have stayed in Corinth and tried to kill Polybus. Though he was destined to meet Laius on his road towards Thebes, he had not been aware that, that was actually his father, when he slayed him. Another example would be when Jocasta had not wanted the prophecy to come true so “[she] gave [Oedipus to the shepherd]”(Sophocles, 1071) for it “[t]o be destroyed” (Sophocles, 1073). Jocasta had no intention to have the prophecy come true. Though their lives are predominately controlled by fate, it was Jocasta’s free will to give up her baby boy, in hopes that the prophecy “[s]aying the child should kill