How Does Oedipus Fulfill Fate

In Sophocles’ Greek play, Oedipus Rex, events like Oedipus’ parents’ attempted infanticide, Oedipus abandoning his adoptive parents out fear of a prophecy, and the murdering of an innocent old man on his way to Thebes negatively causes Thebes to be plague-stricken and ill, as well as Oedipus’ tragic fate. Oedipus’ personal fate of ending up as a blind hermit has been determined by the gods since before he was even born, but it is ultimately his actions and the actions of those around him that fulfill the prophecy of his destruction, illustrating the essential theme of how free will is utilized to fulfill fate, despite the two usually being portrayed as duelling concepts. While Oedipus’ future has already been established by the prophecies that …show more content…
It is blatant that Oedipus did not blind himself to fulfill the prophecy, but instead out of his own individual revulsion because of the incest and homicide he has committed, once again demonstrating that free will is used to fulfill fate. Sophocles repeatedly uses his characters to show the importance preceding choices have on their destiny and the lives of others as well, and that these decisions carry risk of backfiring no matter if the intentions are pure or selfish. Furthermore, the events also represent the concept of fate versus free will, because even though Oedipus knows of the prophecy and goes to great lengths like abandoning his adoptive parents to avoid it, the prophecy ends up being self-fulfilled as Oedipus unwittingly murders his father and marries his mother anyway. Laius and Jocasta killing their son, an act that occurs several decades before the play even begins, has a domino effect on the rest of Oedipus’ life, leads him to grow up unaware of his true identity, unintentionally fulfilling the prophecy he and his parents greatly fear, and his tragic deterioration from a beloved king to a sightless, penniless