Theme Of Fate And Justice In Oedipus The King

In the story Oedipus the King by Sophocles’, Fate and Justice are both determined by a higher force rather than by random prospects. Throughout Oedipus Rex, several characters are involved in situations where fate and justice play a vital role. Every character in the story speculates the idea of fate and justice, however later on begins to believe it at last. Fate is important especially in relation to Oedipus because it involves itself into what resolution occurs to a character. Oedipus projects the role of a tragic hero and consequently connects to this theme perfectly because at first, he was the strong and respected Greek king of Thebes who accidentally fulfilled a prophecy with no intention of happening in the first place that resulted

in him killing his father and marrying his mother, thereby bringing disaster to his city and family. While Oedipus was so preoccupied with avoiding his fate that he willingly clouded his judgment which led right to it. His fate was determined but it was his pride and ambition that led to his final outcome. Immediately after Oedipus’s mother found out about King Lauis’s passing she presumes to say “O prophecies of the gods, where are you?” (Sophocles 50). When Oedipus’s mother discovers the news that her husband has been killed, she begins to suspect and doubt the prophecies that Apollo had prophesied, although just a few moments before she was seen praying. Oedipus lived a very eventful life in which he overcame many obstacles and also endured several mistakes. In the effort to change his fate, Oedipus tries to outsmart himself and things turn out horribly. He then later regained the respect of his peers and was made king, dethroning his father and marrying the queen. Adding on, a similar issue arises with the people of Thebes where they slowly start to lose faith and question why they pray to the gods. “Apollo is without honor everywhere. The gods are defeated” (Sophocles 49). This shows how the people of Thebes feel about the gods, as their wishes don’t come true. When the gods would not answer the people's prayers, they would turn to Oedipus; therefore the people also felt neglected towards him. These examples prove that fate and justice are determined by higher power rather than random chance, hence creating the sense of Oedipus fitting the theme of a cataclysmic hero.