Free Will In Sophocles Oedipus The King

Prior to the invention of the internet, the television set, and even the postal service, the humble messenger played a vital role in the ancient Greek social structure. The messenger carried imperative missives throughout a territory and between neighboring kingdoms, literally running the messages from place to place. By simply perusing the acclaimed Greek play Oedipus Rex, modern analysts witness the significance messengers play in the ancient world. Composed by Sophocles around 468 B.C., Oedipus Rex investigates the limits of free will and the overall power of fate through the doomed journey of proud Oedipus. The messengers in Oedipus Rex serve as nexuses between fate and Oedipus, delivering writs to trigger Oedipus' destiny. Employing the
Oedipus' encounter with the de facto messenger at a banquet acts a catalyst to his decision to seek the truth, beginning his journey on fate's chosen path. In a conversation with Jocasta, Oedipus quickly summarizes his exchange with the de facto messenger, "A man at the banquet table, who had had too much to drink, told me, over his wine, that I was not the true son of my father" (Oedipus Rex 55). With this dreadful news, Oedipus desperately seeks the truth, only to discover an appalling destiny. Based on the newly acquired knowledge, Oedipus chooses to flee his home to evade his fate to sleep with his mother and slay his father. Self-confident and adroit, Oedipus believes he possesses the not only the power to direct his own destiny, but also has the skill to thwart fate. Although Oedipus concedes his frailty in the
"What dreadful things you will see and hear," wails the palace messenger as he prepares to deliver the message of Oedipus' ruin to the loyal citizens of Thebes (91). The messenger despairingly discloses the events that occurred within the palace including Jocasta's suicide and Oedipus' self-inflicted blindness, preparing the city for Oedipus' arrival and exile. With his words, the messenger subtly divulges the triumph of fate, confirming fate's power, and describing its cruel revenge when people attempt to evade fate's edict. With his statement, "It must have been some supernatural being that showed the raving man where she was; it was not one of us," the messenger acknowledges the pull of the mystical force of fate (93). In this conclusion of the play, Oedipus' tragic downfall attests to the comprehensive authority of fate over free will. Throughout the play, Oedipus attempts to avoid fate, to exercise his free will, yet all his free actions lead him directly to the destination the prophecies desire. Fulfilling his destiny, fate leaves Oedipus a humbled disgrace who finally acknowledges the limits of free will under the jurisdiction of fickle