Before discussing the role of fate in Oedipus Rex, we are to make it clear what the fate actually is.
- Oedipus is merely a puppet In the hands of fate.
- Since Fate rules us and nothing can be foreseen (Jocasta)
- We blame gods for our misfortunes as naughty boys kill flies for their sports.
- Our wills and actions go contrary to our expectations.
- Our thoughts are ours: their consequence is not ours.
Every quote, written above, shows the dominance of fate over human civilization.
Fate and Ancient Greece
Grecian people had a deeper faith in fate. For them, their future was determined by the divine powers. In order to know about their past or future, they used to resort to a priest, who gave prophecies and an oracle by god Apollo. Prophecies were prone to go wrong but oracles were words on stone, not "on the wind".
Fate and Oedipus' Parents
Oedipus' actual and authentic parents were King Laius and Queen Jocasta of Thebes. They received an oracle that their son will kill his father and will marry his own mother. To escape from that dismal condition, imposed by fate, they simply gave the newly born child to a Theban Shepherd to kill it. But the Theban Shepherd took pity on the child and left it on Kithairón mountains.
Oedipus Brought up by a Royal Family
On seeing a child, striving for life, the Shepherd of Corinth took the infant and gifted it to their childless king and queen while earning a handsome reward. They were King Polypus and Queen Merope. They brought him up as if he were their actual son. One day, he overheard that he was not the real son of King Polybus and Queen Jocasta. For confirmation, he set forth for Delphi where he was given an oracle about the crimes of patricide and incest. To prevent from accomplishing these horrible crimes, he left Corinth and set his course for a random place. On his way to Thebes, he, unknowingly, killed his father, taking him merely as an old man.
Oedipus, The King of Thebes
Oedipus was a wise and influential person. He was successful in solving the prolong riddle of the monster Sphinx. The Theban people were greatly impressed by Oedipus' intelligence and they made him their king and he was married to Jocasta. Both his parents and Oedipus tried their level best to avoid their fate but fate clutched them in its cruel claws and the oracles went true.
Oedipus' Own Desire
Oedipus accomplished these crimes in complete ignorance. But it was his quest for truth, "The truth must be made known", the truth about the murderer of King Laius and about his lineage. He was stopped by Teiresias, Creon and Jocasta but the plague and his own interest led him to the horrible truth about the horrible wrongs.
Conclusion
Oedipus' afflictions [مصائب] were brought by fate but, to know about his afflictions, was his own desire, to blind and banish himself was, as well, his own decision.
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