For the Greeks, `Fate` means the
foretelling of what will happen. It is the essential part of Greek tragedies
and epics and in the case of `Oedipus Rex` it is not otherwise. As it is shown
that the characters of the Greek tragedies are free but their freedom is tied with
destiny. In the play `Oedipus Rex` fate plays an important role by controlling
the destiny of the characters. It controls the characters, Jocasta, Laius and
Oedipus, and pre-determines the major events in their lives. But in
carrying out the plot Sophocles has shown that the characters are not
altogether puppets in the hands of fate. As they are presented on the stage, they are
free agents, freely choosing various actions.
The Function of Fate in ” Oedipus
Rex”
Long before the birth of
Oedipus, it was announced from the Delphi that
he would kill his father and marry his mother. All human beings through their
kindness,intellect,inquiry and all other activities acted only to fulfill this
prophecy. Here every character tries o trick the fate but ultimately realizes that the fate can not be tricked. As we have seen pity, cruelty, foresight
and bravery have all been employed in trying to circumvent fate and have
actually themselves woven into the web of fate. The cruel decision of Laius and
Jocasta to expose the babe, the pity of the Herdsman who found it,the decision of
Oedipus to give up his life as a king’s son by leaving Coriath- all have played
their part in bringing about the fulfillment of the fate.
The fate controls the character,Jocasta.
Jocasta knew what the oracle had prophesied and went on to bear Laius’s child
and then attempted to get round the consequences of the fate. She has even been
willing to kill the child to forestall the horror of what he may do. She makes
her decision and commits herself to a course of action which brings her doom upon
her.
The fate also seals the destiny of the
character Laius. He did everything to prevent the fate which had been
pronounced by the Delphi. He chained and
handed over the child to a servant who passed it to a Corinthian shepherd, who
passed the baby to the Corinthian king. The child grew up as the son of Polybus and Merope,the king and queen of Corinth.Subsequently the child, Odeipus
killed his the father, Laius fulfilling the prophecy of the Oracle.
The fate also has the contribution in
bringing about the tragedy in the life of Odeipus. He learnt the terrible
prediction concerning him from the oracle and like his parents tried his utmost
to avert such a fate. He fled from Corinth, determined never to set eyes on his
supposed father and mother as long as they lived. Unfortunately, on the way of
his journey, he killed his father ,king Laius, unknowingly. He also married the
king’s widow.Jocasta, his real mother, after saving the city Thebes, from a frightful monster,Sphinx,who was causing a lot of destruction. So the
unavoidable fate has made Oedipus do two horrible crimes, killing his father and marrying his mother.
The occurrences which bring about the
tragedy in the lives of Laius,Jocasta and Oedipus are the work of fate.All
these characters performed the disastrous acts as a direct result of their
efforts to escape the cruel fate which the oracle at Delphi
had communicated to them. They are informed in advance that they will become
the victims of certain shocking events. They take whatever measures they think
of to avert those events but things turn out exactly as they had been foretold
by the oracle.
According to Aristotle, the tragic hero
must belong to a well-known family and his downfall is due to his error or
hamartia .In this respect,Oedipus as a tragic hero does not meet the criterion
.His downfall is fate- bound. Sooner or later he must fall from his position
.It can be argued that his inquisition nature is responsible for his downfall.
But it is hard to say whether his
inquisitive nature had originated, if the gods would have not sent a plague in
the city Thebes
and caused the search for the killer of the king.So in the downfall of Oedipus
we see the humbling of a great man by the fate or gods. This treatment is not
deserved by Oedipus.It is not a punishment for insolence nor it is due to any
fault of judgment in man.The gods display their power because they must . Now
it is vain to ask why Oedipus is punished fir sins of which he had no
knowledge.Man may not cross question the gods and Oedipus has no such right.
But the argument has its other side.
Oedipus is not a flawless person. He has many faults in his character. He is
rash,hot-tempered,hasty in forming
judgments, easily provoked and very much inquisitive.Not all of his acts are pre-determined.
He is a free agent freely choosing a series of actions which lead to his own
ruin. The oracle’s prediction was unconditional; it did not say that if Oedipus
did such and such a thing ,he would kill his father and marry his mother.
Oedipus does many things to evade his fate, but unfortunately instead of
delaying his acts precipitated his downfall.He failed to understand(blinded by
the over-confidence)that not all difficulties are riddles to be solved by the
application of pure intellect but that some are mysteries not to be solved at
all.
Considering all the facts ,we can say that
Oedipus is neither a free agent nor a mere victim of fate. The major events of
his life are determined by fate, but his own acts such as fleeing from Corinth, killing an old
man, marrying an aged woman,without knowing his whole identity,showing
over-confidence and milking the shepherd for information all have contributed
in precipitating the disaster.
