Oedipus the King is part of a trilogy by Sophocles that is full of tragedies which are deeply rooted in a battle between fate and free will. The tragedies to the common eye seem to be caused by free will but on further examination and as revealed by the prophecies surrounding the characters in the play are only following the predictions, fate has the final say.
In trying to find a solution to alleviate the misery the plague is causing the citizens of the Thebian kingdom, the answer reveals facts and mysteries that are distressing to the king and the entire kingdom. It is upon Oedipus as the King of Thebes to find a solution and alleviate the misery the plague that is upon Thebes. Oedipus swears to find the causative agent and even declares a harsh punishment of death to whomever or whatever is causing it. He sends out his brother-in-law Creon to the oracles to inquire the cause and the answer to end the plague. Ironically, he is indeed the cause of the plague. The oracles state that the plague has been brought because of the murder of the previous king, King Laius. Before descending the throne, Oedipus killed a man he met at a crossroads as he was fleeing his home in fear of an oracle coming true. He did not know he killed the king of Thebes. When he gets to Thebes, they are in need of a king and his qualities seem befitting of a leader. He forgets this incidence until it is mentioned in the events following the plague. Oedipus thought he had killed a man out of free will but instead it was already foretold. Fate had it that he would kill his father. He thought Polybus and Merope were his birth parents only to learn they were his adoptive parents and indeed Laius and Jocasta were his biological parents.
When Oedipus ascended the throne, it was only right for him to take up the widowed queen as his wife for the continuity of the royal house. He sires two daughters with Queen Jocasta, Ismene, and Antigone. The two live a happy life with Oedipus as a successful and greatly revered king the plague unravels some shocking and unacceptable acts in the society. Contrary to the belief that it was a decision made out of free will, fate mocks Oedipus again as being the driving force towards this decision. The second half of the oracle on his parents had it that Oedipus would marry his mother committing incest.
The bitter truth that comes from the oracle is too much for Queen Jocasta who earlier on doubted the prophecies and saw them as mere words that had no weight or possibility of ever coming to pass. She tries to appease the gods but it is all in vain and she ends up committing suicide. Oedipus is saddened by the number of deaths he has caused and gorge out eyes using the pins from the queen’s gown so that he cannot see any more of the misery and pain he is causing his loved ones, his father, wife, and children born out of incest (Sophocles 1,615-1,620). The oracles had it that the eventual punishment of this family was blindness. Blindness befalls Oedipus out of the irrational decision made in the heat of the moment, but as a fulfillment of the oracle. He is even mocked by the blind prophet; an old blind prophet sees further than a young arrogant man who had perfect eyesight. The interaction with the blind prophet was a forecast on Oedipus’ fate but he was “too blind” to understand or read the signs.
Creon comes back from the oracles and reports to Oedipus what was revealed to him about the plague being caused by the murder of King Laius. Oedipus also summons anyone who will help him understand the murder being that he was a stranger to it and even promises to ease out the penalty and have the one who committed it sent to exile instead of being put to death. The blind prophet Tiresias comes forth and at first, refuses to offer any answers and this rouses the king’s fury who accuses him of being part of the murder. It is this accusation that prompts Tiresias to reveal that Oedipus is indeed the one who murdered Laius. From the two accounts pointing Oedipus towards the murder and before understanding the full account of the murder, Oedipus accuses the two, Creon and Tiresias of scheming to overthrow his rule and take up his throne. Fate has it that indeed Creon will ascend the throne once the truth is revealed of Oedipus’ actions and his involvement in the plague. He is so blinded by rage and fury towards this two people that he fails to see that fate is trying to forecast on the ones who are in the position of power and who hold his fate in their hands. Being that the impending punishment for the murderer is death, Creon should put Oedipus to death the former gives the now fallen hero a chance at free will to determine his fate.
Oedipus calls himself a son of a shepherd and the goddess chance. He further acknowledges that chance rules our lives. In his last moments at the palace, Oedipus who all through the events has been skeptic about fate and destiny finally submits to it and realizes that his whole life has been pegged on fate and the prophecies that had been foretold since his birth. Nothing happens out of the blues instead everything happens guided by a driving force that steers towards the fulfillment of the existing fate.
At the end of the play when Creon ascends the throne, he follows the oracles. There were impending judgment and punishment on anyone who would cast a finger upon Oedipus. In the knowledge of this, Creon does not sentence Oedipus to death as the latter had ruled during his reign. Instead, he offers to consult the oracles on what to do. He has learned from the downfall of Oedipus that fate has an upper hand to free will and is not a respecter of persons, not even kings. Creon tells Oedipus, "I don't like to speak thoughtlessly and say what I don't mean (Sophocles 1,799).
Even though the events seem to be dictated by fate and happening towards the fulfillment of the foretold fate, there are some decisions in the play that are made out of the shear-free will and are stand-alone acts. Queen Jocasta’s death had not been foretold. It is out of her free will that she decides to commit suicide. Guilt for not believing in fate is what leads her to this gruesome act that is not even acted out on stage rather happens backstage and we learn of it when a messenger informs the king of it. She had lived in ignorance and even failing to read the signs that were out there in the open like when she gave up her son and her husband died. Jocasta’s decision to not believe in fate is the price she has to pay for her life.
Even though fate had it that Oedipus would be surrounded by a number of calamities, it did not foretell of him being a fallen hero and his life reversing from one of riches to rugs. In the second part of the trilogy, Oedipus is turned in to a beggar. It was his decision to exile himself from Thebes. He is even offered a place in the palace but he refuses, whether out of arrogance or shame, it is not clear. However, this time fate does not have a say in the kind of life chooses to live.
This first part of the trilogy is based on a battle between fate and free will. Fate which is an already determined path to which events will follow seems to be the main focus of this play. Characters believe they are making decisions based on their free will or stand-alone decisions that do not have an influence on the eventual twists and turns of their lives only to realize that each and every decision was leading towards the fulfillment of the fate stated in the oracles. The characters chose to ignore or fight the oracles by not believing them and running away only for them to realize that running only aligns them to the paths of fate. Fate is a higher force, higher than an individual and does not even change or bend to please and favor the high and mighty. Instead, it will break them to become the shame and despised in the society turning them from riches to rugs for it to be accomplished. Freewill is, however, not responsible for the eventual outcome of an individual and only binds the person making the decision.
Reference
Sophocles. "Oedipus the King." Play. Translated by David Grene, c. 420 BCE. 10 04 2018. .
