Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

Self-fulfilling Prophecy

In The Theban Plays, there is a recurring theme of whether the prophecies reflect the ability of the Gods to see the future, or whether their future is shaped by the Gods. At the time that the tragedies were written, poetry was the highest form of art, and the Greeks attended plays at annual festivals that showcased the finest tragedies and comedies. They were based on religion, culture and also human nature. These three topics are those that we can all relate to in one way or another, especially human nature and the idea that we can change our destiny through the choices we make. Through the characters of Oedipus, Jocasta, Antigone, Creon, Ismene and others, we begin to see the true colors of each character and the sacrifices they are and are not willing to make. Most make choices to avoid a fate, and others make choices that help bring about a fate to which they are resigned. In The Theban Plays, Sophocles believes that fate is a more powerful force than free will in the lives of his characters.

The essence of a tragedy is the struggle of the character within him or her self to accept their fate as it has been told to them, or fight it as best they know how with the belief that they can alter their destiny. Oedipus’ character, for example, contains traits of assertiveness, arrogance, and persistence. All of these flaws led him to make choices that allowed the prophecy to be fulfilled. It shows that everything happens for a reason and everything that is meant to be, will be.

King Oedipus is a great example of Sophocles’ belief that fate will ultimately win out over free will; no matter the choices you make along the way you are leading yourself to your destiny. As E. F. Watling explains in The Theban Legend, Jocasta attempts to avoid the prophecy of the oracle by abandoning Oedipus, at which point he is saved by a shepherd. After reaching manhood Oedipus flees Corinth so as not to murder his father and marry his mother, yet these decisions set the wheels in motion that ultimately fulfill the prophecy (23). “Ah, wretch! Am I unwittingly self-cursed?” (King Oedipus, 46). At this point, Oedipus is realizing that all his good deeds, intentions and efforts are in vain and ultimately his destiny is unchangeable. The character of Oedipus is a classic tragic hero. His life falls apart as he finds the truth that the prophecy was fulfilled and realizes that his idealized self, his narcissistic self, is suffering a downfall that no one would have seen coming. He is blinded by his ego and therefore can be perceived as somewhat innocent, yet the sequence of events is beyond his control.

In Oedipus at Colonus, he speaks of his fate in regards to his death when he says in Athens that he knows that where he is shall be his final resting place, and he tells the countryman, “It was fated, and this is the sign” (Oedipus at Colonus, 73). Further on towards the end of the play Oedipus is explaining how he knows that his time has come. “The Gods, themselves their own true couriers, / Have given me word by signals pre-appointed” (Oedipus at Colonus, 117). Theseus responds that he knows that due to past predictions being true he understands that this one must be as well. He does not question