Does Oedipus Deserve His Punishment

Upon the revealing of his sins, Oedipus was in control of the outcome. In punishment, he gouged his eyes out to make himself blind. The chorus asked Oedipus what god urged him to do this action. He replied with, “Apollo, my friends-these things are Apollo, who brought to pass these evil, evil sufferings of mine. But no man struck me with his hand, but I myself dared it” (Sophocles 1360-1363). When Oedipus realized the magnitude of his sins, he took full responsibility for his behavior. In turn, he accepted the burden of those actions by imposing his own punishment. If Oedipus believed he was not the one to blame for the misdoings, he would have undoubtedly turned to the gods for their next step. However, since he clearly knew he was the only