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Oedipus The King Superstition

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The Superstition He Fell for in the Sophocles by Dudley Fitts and Robert Fitzgerald
“How dreadful knowledge of the truth can be. When there's no help in truth!” (17) Knowing the truth, Oedipus thought he could abstain of killing his father and marrying his mother but it did not help him at all since his life was determined the day he was born. Oedipus’s life was a written nightmare, and not matter what choices he made, he was destined to suffer. Throughout the play, Oedipus get broken from fate and trying to escape it but it was pointless. At the end, he lost all hope because no matter what he did, the prophecy laid out for him kept coming true.
To begin with the play Oedipus Rex, one needs to understand that fate plays a major role in it. …show more content…

He probably thought the his life was set and have won his fight against his fate; however, the more he tried to control his fate, the more it controlled him. After becoming a king, his people came and asked him to save them from “the god of the plague” (4). Seeing how his city was being cursed by the Gods for not finding the killer, he thought he had an obligations to help his people and pleased the Gods. Despite the “game” that Gods might have been playing with Oedipus’s life, he wanted to do what was right for his people and to find the killer of the former king. He was a honest man and he was only trying to find the truth, but it did not matter, Oedipus was the only who was devastating at the end. In the hope of saving the city and finding the truth, Oedipus found the shepherd who was supposed kill “Laios's child”(63) because “it was said that the boy would kill his own father”(64). It was in that moment when Oedipus realized he was fool for thinking he could cheat his fate and lived happy ever after. He wasted his life of trying to change it and yet fate caught with him. As a tragic hero, he was never supposed be happy. The play clear showed that a man’s fate appears to be more important than his freewill. Oedipus try to defy fate. In the play, fate is more powerful and lead him to make the prophecy come true. He ended up killing Laius, whom he did not know it was his father or that king at that time, and he became the new king of Thebes; therefore, he assumed the role of the new husband of Jocasta, his

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He lost his purpose in life because all of the joys he had in his life vanished in an instant. This evinces how pathetic the mighty Oedipus had become. After the finding the truth, Oedipus becomes fragile and stops thinking ahead. He starts making decisions based on his emotions instead of being responsible for himself. On the other hand, when he understands that PreCrime is not always just, he tries to shut down the program.

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When the people of Thebes find out Oedipus is the killer of Laius, the former king, Oedipus goes through his tragic downfall of great suffering. Oedipus boosts himself up and degrades others, but it turn he ends up suffering greatly and pitying himself for it. Oedipus’ display of pride throughout the story causes him to feel great pity for himself as he suffers his ultimate downfall.

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Because of this action it allowed for Oedipus to grow up to then become king and marry Jocasta thus setting the prophecy into motion to be fulfilled. This shows that no mortal can change the path that the gods have set for them. The God that Stated Oedipus’ fate was the son of Zeus, Apollo. This is found out through one of Oedipus’ messengers that read the oracle of the gods and when Oedipus found out he stated, “Apollo said though his prophet that I was the man who should marry his own mother, shed his father’s blood with his own hands” ( Sophocles 3. 945-947). Even when the prophet of a god tells Oedipus that he will do all these horrible acts he still denies it and continues to try and find out the truth of who his parents really are and who killed the late king Lausis while avoiding what the gods are saying will happen

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Upon receiving the prophecy that he would kill his father and marry his mother, he unquestioningly embraced its validity without challenging it. However, if he employed his common knowledge and free will, the course of events might have been altered. For instance, he tragically killed Laius in a dispute that could have been avoided with restraint. Additionally, when tasked with uncovering the murderer of the former king of Thebes, Oedipus willingly accepted the challenge, firmly believing it was his destiny to expose the killer and save his city. Unfortunately, his unwavering trust in fate and blind devotion to prophecies ultimately led to his downfall.

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