Justice In Oedipus The King

Oedipus The King Fate and justice are determined by a higher power rather than by random chance. In Oedipus the King by Sophocles, fate and justice are an important factor throughout the play, in which every character questions the idea of fate and justice but ends up believing it at last. Oedipus illustrates the role of a tragic hero because in the beginning of the play he is considered a great and powerful king but as the story progresses he meets his downfall and discovers that he killed his own father, Laius, and married his mother, Jocasta. The reason behind these characters not believing in a higher power is that when their wishes aren’t granted they think there isn’t a higher power that exists, in other words the gods. “O prophecies of the gods, where are you now?” (Sophocles, 50) As soon as Jocasta hears the news about the death of Polybus she doubts the prophecies of the gods, when just before hearing the news she was praying for freedom and for her city to be
A big issue with fate is that characters always believe that it can be reciprocated in one way or another. In Oedipus’s case, after he finds out he is fated to kill his father and marry his mother he decides to run away from Corinth hoping his fate will not come true. But faith and justice being a higher power throughout the story caught up to Oedipus and he ended up killing a man not knowing it was his father and dethroning him as king of Thebes and marrying the queen. Adding onto that a similar issue arises with chorus where they slowly start to lose faith and question why they pray to the gods. “Apollo is