Oedipus Destiny
Oedipus’ DestinyFrom the ancient Greek society to the modernistic world in which [we] reside, the one constant which has had the ability to both bind and divide masses of people remains to be an unparalleled belief in a higher power. For it is human nature to submit to a divine presence as justification for that which is beyond the realm of man’s comprehension. But what are the criteria to substantiating the intangible? Fleeting passions have lead many to challenge the limits of mankind, to question the existence of a superior force, and, ultimately, to become apathetic to the issue. In contemporary society, such extremist mentality is accepted, if not commonplace. However, in ancient Sophoclean society, those who dared to avoid their predestined fate, essentially elevating their status beyond human boundaries, were doomed for failure. In the noteworthy Greek play, Oedipus the King, the essential character’s inability to accept the divine will results in a perpetual shifting of motives that amount to his ultimate demise.
Upon learning his dismal fate, Oedipus initially disregards the validity of it and, subsequently, attempts to flee from the physical “setting” in which his prophecy is associated. According to an oracle revealed to him by Apollo, King Oedipus is burdened to be the murderer of his father and the husband of his mother. Once he learns of this prophecy he leaves Corinth to escape fate; little does he know that his ultimate demise awaits his arrival. For it is in Thebes that he meets and kills his biological father, King Laius, and solves the riddle of the Sphinx that lands him in his mother’s arms. For most of his life he is forewarned of this horrible fate. However, Oedipus fails to recognize the fact of the matter, for he assumes Polybus and Merope of Corinth to be his true parents. He chooses to ignore the oracle of the gods and, instead, allows his free will to take precedence. In turn, he takes on the role of a leader and savior of the people, becoming oblivious to the premonitions that surround him. Ultimately he is seeking himself.
The sources of motivation that fuel Oedipus throughout the course of the play offer a window onto the emergence of his tragic downfall. Oedipus suffers in his plight to gain truth. From the opening lines, Oedipus pursues the killer. Being the ruler of Thebes, he is determined to punish the murderer of King Laius. It becomes his motive, his obligation, his craving. With much conviction, Oedipus states to Creon in the first episode “I will do all that I can; you tell them that/ So with the help of God/ We shall be saved-or else indeed we are lost” (157-158). His urgency to capture the murderer of Laius is a means of regaining equilibrium in the city, and...
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