it has all come true. Light, let this be the last time I see you. I stand revealed Born in shame, married in shame, an unnatural murderer . . . I add up the total of your lives and find it equal to nothing... And now - is there a man whose story is more pitiful? (70-71)]
This soliloquy can be closely compared to that of Macbeth in Shakespeare 's Macbeth. Both Macbeth and Oedipus experience tragic downfalls in their lives, going from nobility and sitting atop the social hierarchy to a shamed beggar, and both are blinded by the truth, figuratively and literally. In retrospect, the life of Oedipus can be seen as a tale of two kings; a hero of great magnitude and poorest among the land. The great King of Thebes, who released an entire city from plague after solving a riddle from the sphinx which baffled many, is seen at the end of the play as the the most hated, shameful and mentally-destroyed people in Thebes. A lot of questions arise from how Oedipus handles the prophecy, and to some, it seems he puts no effort in trying to right his wrong. There is no concrete evidence that proves exactly if his life was completely destined by the prophecy or just the free moral decisions of Oedipus. As previously mentioned, it is near impossible to comprehend how influence the gods actual have over Oedipus. A quote from Greek philosopher Heraclitus “A man’s character is his fate” largely signifies the life of Oedipus and how he handled the entire prophecy. Ultimately, fate or freewill, Oedipus was essentially at the wrong place at the wrong