Oedipus Rex Research Paper

The definition of fate is an inevitable predetermined destiny or fortune. Sophocles plays, such as Oedipus Rex, have a pattern of having the gods determine the fate of the characters, and those characters try to change their destiny. Through the actions of Oedipus, fate is shown to be unchanging no matter how hard someone tries to change it. This is expressed in Oedipus’ prophecy that states that he will kill his father and marry his mother. First, Iocaste and Laios, his parents, try to kill Oedipus by piercing his ankles and tying him to a tree to die as a three day old newborn. Their plan fails as the baby is found and brought to the palace in Corinth, where he is adopted by King Polybus. He then is raised as Polybus’ son and does not learn his true heritage until much later in his adult life when the messenger arrives and states, “Polybus is not [his] father.” By doing this, the fate of Oedipus and his family is still intact, as the baby is still alive. Later, when Oedipus is about
As king Oedipus publicly proclaims, “ I pray that that man’s life be consumed in evil and wretchedness. And as for me, this curse applies no less.” After doing this, he sets out to find the killer, and goes to see the blind prophet Tiersias. During their encounter, Tiersias states that Oedipus is the killer, which he denies after mocking the prophet for being blind. Then, after accusing his brother-in-law Creon of murder and speaking with the one witness of the murder, Iocaste realizes that Oedipus is her son. After some time, Oedipus remembered the murder and was overslept with guilt: he killed his father, Laios. In a final act of guilt, Iocaste hangs herself, then Oedipus gouges out his eyeballs with pins from his mother’s dress. The fate of Oedipus has occurred despite everyones best efforts to stop it from ever