Fate and character in Sophocles' Oedipus Tyrannus

Oedipus Tyrannus

Sophocles' play considers the life of Oedipus, and the interplay of fate and free will. One of the questions often asked about the play is whether Oedipus could have used free will to stop the fulfillment of the prophesy concerning his life, and if not, whether he deserved his self-imposed fate at the end of the play. Furthermore, it has also been argued that Oedipus' character contains certain flaws that led to his ultimate fate, and that he therefore deserved his punishment. On the other hand, one could also argue that, as the play suggests, no matter what Oedipus did out of free will, he would have ended in the same position. The question of fate and character runs throughout this tragedy. The central question relating to Oedipus fate is whether he deserves it because of the flaws in his character, or whether it was imposed upon him by a cruel fate that he could do nothing to change.

Character

One of the central flaws in Oedipus' character is his confidence, stubbornness, and pride in himself; what was known in ancient Greek literature as "Hubris." This pride and confidence leads him to a relentless pursuit of the truth regarding the king's killer, regardless of all warnings for him to stop it. It appears that Sophocles is warning the audience of the dangers of too much self-investigation.

Oedipus' character is definitely one of the elements that leads to his fate in the end. Firstly, his stubborn search for the truth is what he sees as part of his kingly duties. His loyalty to Thebes and its people drives him towards the discovery of his own hand in the king's death. His reaction to this discovery is also a testament to Oedipus' character. He does not shy away from what he sees as his duty towards his people and his country. Oedipus blinds himself because he believes that it is what he deserves for what he has done. He does not attempt to hide behind the fact that he did not know that it was his father that he killed, and that he actually did so in an attempt to flee the very fate into which he unwittingly walked.

Oedipus' strength of character therefore remains throughout the play: he continues to do what he believes is right, regardless of warnings by trusted advisers. He completes the journey and retains his integrity, even though he loses everything else. He falls from a great height, but he does not lose the respect of his people or the audience. This makes the events all the more tragic.

The audience is not presented with the impression that Oedipus' fate is the direct result of any flaw in his character. Indeed, the people of Thebes love and respect him. He also shows his integrity in dealing with those seeking his downfall. Creon for example seeks a private audience with Oedipus, but Oedipus refuses this in the interest of disclosure in matters regarding his people. He also shows himself to be a good king, in placing the interests of his people before his own. When he is revealed as Laius' killer for example, he recognizes that he can no longer act as king, and steps down without hesitating. His guilt and remorse drives him to the final tragic act of also blinding himself as a symbol of his previous blindness to the truth.

Oedipus' Guilt

Regardless of the above argument, Oedipus feels deeply guilty about his actions. He acknowledges that his actions were unacceptable and that he could therefore no longer be king. He therefore takes a punishment that he feels is deserving of his actions and willingly surrenders the kingship and his children to Creon. Oedipus' integrity of character also plays a part in his self-imposed punishment. He vowed to find the king's killer and deal with him in kind. When he is revealed as the killer, he believes there is no choice accept dealing with himself as he would with any other killer. For Oedipus, there is no question of guilt, even though he did not know of his guilt or the nature of his actions when he committed the crimes. There is for him therefore no question of his guilt in the matter.

The audience, and particularly modern audiences however, may feel differently about the matter of guilt. The main argument would be that Oedipus did not seek to fulfill the prophesy and kill his own father. Instead, he was trying to escape this. This exonerates him from liability. Nevertheless, the issue of deliberate blindness also has to be considered. Oedipus can be assumed to be well aware of the elements of the prophesy pertaining to killing his father at the crossroads. Surely when he killed the king at the crossroads this should have been a warning sign for Oedipus. At this point he could have chosen not to marry the king's wife. The impression is that Oedipus chooses to ignore these warning signs in favor of prosperity.

I believe that Oedipus' punishment for himself was too extreme, although poetic in its symbolism. While perhaps fitting for the tradition of the Greek tragedy, in today's terms Oedipus cannot be regarded as guilty. He is no more than the victim of forces outside of his control. Although he makes some foolish choices, these cannot be ascribed to willfulness; Oedipus' integrity throughout the play mitigates his guilt.

Sources

Sophocles. Oedipus Tyrannus. http://www.mala.bc.ca/~johnstoi/sophocles/oedipustheking.htm