By His Own Hand: Oedipus and His Fate

Oedipus is the quintessential tragic hero, according to the Aristotelian definition, because his demise is entirely of his own doing. In the ongoing debate of fate versus free will, Oedipus proves that fate will only take a person so far. There is no arguing that he was dealt a dreadful hand by the Gods, but it is by his own free will that his prized life collapses. Oedipus could, and should have done nothing given the prophecies of the oracle, although either way his fate would have been realized. His apparent powerlessness against fate cannot be positively reconciled with his own willfulness in seeking self knowledge which stems from his unparalleled hubris. After his fall from grace, Oedipus should have learned that he should not have so vehemently pursued the truth about himself; some things are simply better left unknown. Unfortunately, he only blames the gods and is oblivious to his own part in the matter. Sophocles’s audience and humanity learn the lesson that was intended for Oedipus, and also not to question the gods or fate.

The play Oedipus Rex opens long after Oedipus’ fate has been revealed to him by the oracle. It is foreseen that Oedipus should lie with his own mother, breed children from whom all men would turn their eyes, and that Oedipus should be his father’s murderer (750). Unbeknownst to him, this has all already taken place when Sophocles begins Oedipus Rex. In trying to escape from the edict, he only ensures its actualization. On the way out of Corinth, which he believes to be his home where his mother and father live, he fulfils half of his fate by killing his true father, King Laios. Then, after defeating the Sphinx, he takes his mother, Queen Iocaste, as his bride and begets children. Yet, dreaded as the fate is, he is beyond content with his new station and family. He is unaware of his relation to the dead old man, and his new wife. Ignorance, in this case, truly is bliss. There is no way Oedipus could have possibly avoided his fate. However, the edict in itself did not specify his rise to fame and glory followed by his fall or that he had to be aware that his fate had already come about. Therefore, it could be argued that had he stayed in Corinth and not attempted to out run fate but simply accepted it in the first place, he may have saved himself, and his loved ones, much suffering. The nature of fate however, more than suggests no matter what actions he took, he would have ended up the same, blinded and ostracized. It is hard to imagine his fate being realized without the plot following the course that it did. So although unspoken, perhaps his fate did include his fall from splendour (1135). Regardless of the course he takes to get there, his fate is his fate. Knowing the prophecies of the oracle had little impact on his outcome, as he was doomed no matter what.

“Natures like yours chiefly torment themselves” (635). Creon accurately sums up Oedipus’ situation when admitting his frustration with Oedipus who is too rash to reason with. Oedipus has a few poor qualities including his paranoia, short temper and rashness. However, the trait that overwhelms all of these is his hubris. Being so overbearingly proud prevents him from seeing when others are speaking against him for his own good and allows him to pursue the truth that, in the end, is his undoing. Even his wife begs him “For God’s love, let us have no more questioning! Is your life nothing to you? My own pain is enough for me to bear” (1004), but he pays no attention. The only thing that unquestionably brings about the demise of Oedipus is Oedipus. He is a victim of himself. It is completely impossible for his relentless pursuit of truth to be compromised enough to be positively reconciled with his pre-eminent fate. Either he must accept his fate completely or question its power every chance he gets. Oedipus obviously chooses the latter. To create a dynamic where he half accepts fate while still questioning it is unfeasible. Many characters speak out against him, but again and again he is unwilling to listen. He bullies Teiresias, the blind seer, into revealing who murdered Laios. The seer warns Oedipus persistently that it is best for all that he keeps his knowledge to himself. “Let me go home Bear your own fate, and I’ll Bear mine. It is better so: trust what I say” (308). Teiresias sums up Oedipus’ predicament entirely when he says, “How dreadful knowledge of the truth can be When there’s no help in truth!” (304). It is the knowledge of his fulfilled fate that destroys Oedipus, not the fate itself. He lives a happy and fruitful life even though his fate has already unfolded. Teiresias’ line is even an understatement. In the case of Oedipus, there is far worse than “no help in truth” (304). In truth lies his demise.

In the denouement of Oedipus Rex, Sophocles inserts some very important messages to his audience