Throughout the play, Oedipus's intentions are clear, showing he never wanted to commit murder or incest. When Oedipus learns about the prophecy, he avoids going home so he doesn't hurt his adoptive family, whom he believes are his parents, but in doing so, he causes more harm by killing his real dad on the way to Thebes. In this new city, after putting an end to the plague that ravaged it, he goes on to help the people find their previous king. asking them, "Where are they in the world?" "Where would a trace of this old crime be found?" (OR 107-108). Oedipus had no knowledge of the old leader as his father and initially didn't have any clue about this man other than hearing about him, which was why he was so determined to get to the bottom of the crime. …show more content…
Although it was he who killed the previous king, it is hard to blame him because he has no idea. Unplanned events (fate) all lined up: he met his father, killed him, and became the new king by chance; he never set out on a mission to fulfill the prophecy; rather, things, unfortunately, lined up. Later in the play, he also seeks assistance from Tiresais, a blind prophet who constantly bothers him and asks, "What do you mean?" You know something but refuse to say it. "Would you betray us and destroy the city?" (OR 329-330) Oedipus does not want to harm the people of Thebes; instead, he wants to help them. Although his actions may show he is rude and selfish, he can't really be blamed because he doesn't have the information that those around him have. He is so preoccupied with solving the crime that he loses touch with himself, as Dodds puts it: "Because he cannot rest content with a lie, he must remove the last veil from the illusion in which he has lived for so