Oedipus The King

Story’s are told involving fate but very few capture the true meaning of fate like Oedipus the King. To be successful you have to understand how to use fate to your advantage. Fate is defined as “the immutable law of the universe; inevitable necessity; the force by which all existence is determined and conditioned“. In Oedipus the King it is made quite clear by Sophocles that trying to defy your fate is pointless and only results in your fate coming to pass whether you like it or not.

The first example of the pointlessness of trying to defy your fate is that of Laius. One day Laius, Oedipus' true father, was confronted by an oracle of Apollo. This oracle told him he would be murdered by his son. When Jocasta, his wife, gave birth to a son, Laius, believing he could defy the prediction of Apollo's oracle, ordered that his newborn son be put to death.

He gave the child to Jocasta and she gave the child to a servant in the castle, telling him to bind the baby and leave him on a far hill to die. The child was bound and taken by the servant but the servant could not bare to leave the child to die. Now the servant very easy could have obeyed his orders but did not. The servant found a shepherd in a nearby field and gave him the ch

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Continuing on his way, Oedipus then ran into the horrible Sphinx that was terrorizing the city of Thebes.

Oedipus doesn't realize he is in pursuit of himself. It was now clear to Oedipus and everyone that his fate had come to pass. The man Oedipus killed at the fork in the road was King Laius. ” (Sophocles 318) With his own words he asks for the truth, but has no idea that he curses himself not knowing his own fate.

Oedipus was raised in Corinth as a prince, believing he was the son of King Polybus and Queen Merope. To defeat the Sphinx you must answer the riddle, “What is it that walks on four feet and two feet and three feet and has only one voice; when it walks on most feet, it is weakest? (Sophocles 312) He defeated the Sphinx's riddle and saved the city of Thebes.

Many years later, when the city of Thebes was suffering, King Oedipus consulted an oracle again. What grief can crown this grief? It’s mine alone, my destiny-I am Oedipus!”.

This was but one part of what was revealed. Upon hearing this, Oedipus left Delphi and vowed never to return to Corinth so that he could not murder his beloved father and marry his mother. Oedipus had killed his real father, married his real mother and had children by her. (Sophocles 352) As it is clear to see in this tale of incest and immorality known as Oedipus the King, trying to defy your fate is an act of foolishness that results only in what you had started out trying to defeat happening anyway. The speech shows how dedicated Oedipus in the pursuit of the murderer and not only the avenge of the King but to save himself.

Approximate Word count = 1343
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

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