Oedipus Failure to Avoid Destiny

The Failure of Destiny Avoidance (plan)

The characters in Oedipus Rex try very hard to avoid their destiny but ultimately fail. Discuss

King Oedipus is a dramatic play about how the characters Oedipus, Jocasta, and Laius live to put all their efforts in avoidance of their destiny but ultimately fail.

 Destiny: Oedipus murder Laius (father) and incest to Jocasta.

 Murder and incest considered extremely bad in Greek society  punished by Gods

 Sophocles shows characters fail to avoid destiny because of the attempts to avoid it

The character’s attempts to avoid their destiny in the past are the main cause of how Oedipus, Jocasta, and Laius would face their tragic destiny.

 Oedipus a child Laius’ and Jocasta’s marriage with prophecy: the child would kill the father and marry the mother.

 They leave him on a mountain to death  1st attempt

 Oedipus saved by Polybus and Merope, heard the truth from a drunk and the prophet.

 Unaware of truth about his real parents  leave Corinth to prevent the prophecy 2nd attempt

 On the way  O kills Laius. How they fail to avoid prophecy.

 His intelligence to defeat sphinx be the new king of Thebes and husband of Jocasta. How they fail to avoid prophecy.

By getting back to Thebes, the characters have actually failed in their effort to prevent Oedipus from killing his father and marrying