Fatalism In Oedipus The King

Oedipus the King is one of Sophocles’ celebrated plays that was first performed in approximately 429 BC. It is among the most famous tragedies in the world, retelling the myth of Oedipus, an unfortunate king who ended up killing his father and marrying his mother without knowing it. Although some of Oedipus’s actions – less important to the main story – may be considered to be stemming from his free will, the theme of fatalism is prevailing in the play with the protagonist having no control over any of the events that led to the tragedy and one of the main morals of the story being the encouragement to revere professional seers representing Apollo because their prophecies are as infallible as fate itself.
All of the main events of Oedipus’s life appear to be a chain of strange consequences determined by the prophecies; and at the end, the protagonist gets punished for the things he cannot be blamed

The most evident demonstration of such intention in Oedipus can be found in the words of the chorus: “The oracles concerning Laius / are old and dim and men regard them not. / Apollo is nowhere clear in honor; God’s service / perishes” (Sophocles 1030-1033). These words reveal the concern that if the prophecy about Oedipus had turned false (or if people thought it was false), it would have undermined Greeks’ respect and fear of gods and their prophets. This is why Oedipus had to become a victim of fate in the story. Other proofs of this motivation being important for the play can be found in various dismissing remarks about prophecies the protagonist and Jocasta make: “Ha! Ha! O dear Jocasta, why should one / look to the Pythian hearth?” (Sophocles 1086-1087); “O oracles of the Gods, where are you now?” (Sophocles 1068). But the ending of the story is meant to reveal how mistaken their words are, with all the prophecies fulfilling and leading to the family’s