The play Oedipus is a classic story that shows the fight between good and evil. It illustrates how a person’s fate is almost set in stone and sometimes it does not matter what a person does but they will not change anything no matter how hard they try. Oedipus is a victim of his destiny and he is punished by it for things that he did not do, and at the same time, his character and heart play a major role in his life.
From the very beginning, before Oedipus is born, an Oracle tells his fate to his parents. This shows how helpless a person can be because they are not even living yet and so cannot do anything to change their life. The reason why the play talks about this is to show the people that they are not masters of their destiny. Everything is already known before they are born and a baby is too small to change anything. Right away this is very tragic and the audience knows that the character will have many hardships in his life. When all the bad things happen to Oedipus, such as his “meeting” with his father at the crossroads and then the marrying of his mother, it is clear that it is not his fault directly. It is interesting to see that the good things, which he is doing, are not rewarded. People always believed that when someone does something good it will come back to them. Oedipus is the character who does not know what he is punished for and this is why he seems helpless. But this play is an extreme case, where a person is punished for something unclear or maybe sins of his ancestors. (Girard 24).
Oedipus lives a life not being sure of what he is and what his past and roots are. He is told by the Oracle that his real parents are not the ones he thinks and that he has indeed killed his father and married his mother. But Oedipus does not believe this, it is very hard and scary to believe it, so he lies to himself and pretends that he does not have this thought in his brain. Oedipus also understands that this was told to him several times already and if there was no truth to it, it would not be said so often. His life is filled with doubt and fear that the prophecies are true. Towards the end of the play, it becomes more obvious that he will find out the truth and the ending will be very tragic. As the audience observes Oedipus, it is possible to see how his character changes. He becomes more noble and understanding. For example, when the priest talks to him and explains why they are sad and that the city is filled with sickness and despair, Oedipus understands him very well. This is happening because he has gone through a hard life and has felt the pain and suffering on his skin. This can be seen when the priest tells him: “But save us, save our city. Omens good were then with thee; thou didst thy work, and now be equal to thyself!” (Sophocles 7). This short passage shows two things. The first is that the priest and people know about Oedipus and the good things he has done before and they rely on him and hope that he will make things better. The other part demonstrates how at special moments he has the “good” on his side. He was helped by the “omen” then and now he has to be just as great as before and he will be successful. This is a point, which proves that Oedipus was a good person and people liked and respected him.
But at the same time, it seems strange that all his good deeds do not help him ease his fate and make him happy. It is possible that it happened because of his character. He was lying to himself and denying the truth. He never took the necessary steps to find out the real events. If he spent his whole life searching for his parents, he would find them. Also if he was so afraid of his fate and the prophecy that the Oracle told him, he could have forbidden himself to get married and this would make sure that he did not marry his mother. Or if he ran away from the crossroads and did not kill anyone, his life would be different. But he was the victim of his time, his views and behavior were created by society and people around him. The author wanted to show that even when fate helps people or does not, they still must do things on their own and think about their actions and thoughts (Gould 501). Oedipus did not deserve such a hard fate. He tried to be strong, support his people and be kind to everyone but he never looked deeper into his soul. Maybe he knew what is there and purposefully did not want to find it. But anyway, it is clear that he also took part in the creation of his life and what happened to him.
Works Cited
Girard, Rene. Oedipus Unbound, Stanford, United States: Stanford University Press, 2004. Print.
Gould, Thomas. “The Innocence of Oedipus: The Philosophers on Oedipus the King.” Arion: A Journal of Humanities and the Classics 5.4 (1966): 478-525. Print.
Sophocles. Oedipus Rex: Oedipus the King. Trans. Edward Plumptre. Stilwell, United States: Digireads.com Publishing, 2005. Print.