Oedipus: Self-Made Disaster in Sophocles\' Play, Oedipus

Oedipus: Self-Made Disaster

In Sophocles' play, Oedipus Rex, Oedipus takes fate into his own hands and demonstrates the power of the human will. Oedipus illustrates how we may not always be in control of our destinies, regardless of our efforts. The play is ironic in this sense because Oedipus already had the best "fate" any man in his position could hope for with a beautiful loving wife and a community that praised him. Some argue that Oedipus was fated to fulfill the prophecy but the truth is that his very actions destroyed the life he had. Oedipus was strong-willed obsessive and arrogant to the point of making huge mistakes. He failed himself and those around him because he thought he knew best.

In the beginning of the play, Oedipus has the best of intentions. In other words he does not set out to destroy his life. He simply wants to know the truth and this, for most people in most circumstances, is not a completely bad thing. However, Oedipus doe not stop to think about the unintended consequences of his actions because cannot think straight. The complicated fact is that he cannot uncover the mystery of Laios' murder without revealing the truth about who he is and what he has done. Things get complicated quickly and it begins with what the gods knew and what they predicted. The gods knew Oedipus' fate and predicted it but this is all they did. They did not make him do anything and they were not in control of his actions. Oedipus controlled his actions and while the gods knew what would transpire they could not prevent any of it from occurring.

Oedipus wants to be in charge of his own destiny. He is headstrong and his first mistake is becoming arrogant. He becomes indignant after Teiresias tries to talk sense to him, urging him to be cautious. Teiresias tells Oedipus to carry his own fate (I.i.105) but Oedipus thinks this advice is silly because he wants to know something he does not know. He thinks he knows best and refuses to leave the nagging question alone. Instead of following Teiresias' advice, he calls him a "wicked old man" (I.i.118) with "no feeling at all" (I.i.119). He also blames Teiresias Laios' murder. It is easy to see how angry he becomes when people do no see things his way. The sad truth is that even as Oedipus hears the truth, he will not stop long enough to consider it or what it might mean if it were true. Teiresias tells Oedipus, "You yourself are the pollution of this country" (I.i.135), practically spelling out the truth when he tells Oedipus, "You are the murderer whom you seek" (I.i.143) and, "You live in hideous shame with those/Most dear to you. You cannot see the evil" (I.i.148-9). Oedipus acted as though he never heard these words. He does not act on them; he does not believe them. His arrogance makes him think he knows better than this old man.

Attacking Teiresias is bad enough but Oedipus then must accuse Creon of conspiring against him. He thinks Creon wants to be king and Creon has the heart to tell him the truth when he says:

You do wrong

When you take good men for bad, bad men for good.

A true friend thrown aside -- why life itself

Is not more precious!

In time you will know this well:

For time, and time alone, will show the just man,

Though scoundrels are discovered in a day. (II.i.93-99)

The chorus even becomes involved and tries to tell Oedipus to slow down before he makes a serious mistake.

Oedipus never knows when to stop. He ignores Iocaste and this action is just another silly thing he does in his quest to discover the truth. While he is discovering the truth, he is making his own fate. Iocaste begs her husband to stop quarrelling with Creon. She assures him the oracles made a mistake when they predicted the future of her son. Oedipus questions the messenger, which only feeds his curiosity. When Iocaste tells him that his curiosity is a waste of time, he refuses to give her credence. Oedipus is determined and nothing is going to get in his way. If this does not reveal how free will trumps fate, nothing does. He continues to pursue the matter even as his wife begs him to stop. The chorus begs Oedipus to listen to Iocaste but he is steadfast in his determination and he is focused. At this point in the play, he is an obsessed man who will not stop until he is satisfied with the truth. He tells Iocaste, "I will not listen; the truth must be made known" (II.iii.146). He even questions her love for him and wonders if she will be ashamed of him and says:

The Queen, like a woman, is perhaps ashamed

To think of my low origin. But I

Am a child of luck; I cannot be dishonored . . .

How could I wish that I were someone else?

How could I not be glad to know my birth? (II.iii.159-60, 164-5)

Oedipus is no fool but he acts like one. He makes a deliberate choice to ignore Iocaste. He chooses to be arrogant, stubborn, headstrong, and silly. Every step leading up to his demise is marked by a decision he makes. Oedipus chose to see an oracle about his past. This fatal first step paved the way for every other step and Oedipus makes them very well aware of what he was doing. His biggest mistake is placing too much faith in himself. Solving the riddle of the sphinx gave Oedipus too much pride and he allowed that to go to his head. He believed that every riddle he chose to solve would render the same results as the sphinx riddle.