Free Will In Oedipus Rex

Oedipus later finds out that even though he escaped his fate when he was born (when he was spared from death and crowned prince of Corinth), the boundaries of his free will led him back to the inevitable fate that the gods had in store for him. When Oedipus discovers this, he cries out and says, “Apollo, he ordained my agonies, these, my pains… I did it myself! What good were eyes to me? Nothing I could see could bring me joy.” (Sophocles, Ln. 1467-1473) Here, Oedipus is blaming Apollo for his troubles, but then goes on to admit that it was he too who was to blame for what happened. This shows the audience that as much as it was his free will that had a hand in his depression, it was also in the hands of the Gods, and that there is no escaping
This play dates all the way back to the 5th century B.C. when Sophocles was alive (1). The audiences back then related to this theme because the fact that the gods had omnipotent power was the majority belief of the time. However, this ideology was threatened at the time the play was written, and this is why Sophocles made a point of emphasizing the gods’ power in this play. The people of the world today can relate to this theme, because the very foundation of whether or not there is a God or gods is now under widespread contention. People today debate this theology every day; and this is why they can easily relate to this play.
Another factor that contributes to the success of Oedipus the King is that Oedipus is a tragic figure. There are four elements to a tragic figure - a preliminary position of greatness, a hamartia (tragic flaw), a fall from greatness, and a catharsis (character’s emotional cleansing). This template for a tragic figure fits the character of Oedipus perfectly. Oedipus starts off at a position of great power, because he is the son of Laius and Jocasta, king and queen of Thebes. Although,
One of the powerful relationships that continuously develops throughout the play is that of Oedipus and Creon. This relationship begins when Oedipus becomes king and shares his power equally between his wife/mother, Jocasta, and Jocasta’s brother Creon. The conflict emerges between Oedipus and Creon when Oedipus brings in Tiresias to assist him in finding the murderer of Laius, and Tiresias tells Oedipus that it was in fact he (Oedipus) who killed Laius. One of Oedipus’s reactions towards what Tiresias tells him is that he says, “Creon! Is this his conspiracy his or yours?” (Sophocles, Ln. 431) Oedipus’s jump to reach this conclusion of blaming Creon, is what causes their relationship to deteriorate and is the reason that later on in the play, Creon and Oedipus get into a fight about this accusation. Once Oedipus has blinded himself, he actually begs for Creon’s forgiveness, for Creon to exile him and for Creon to take care of his two young daughters, Antigone and Ismene. “Drive me out of the land at once, far from sight, where I can never hear a human voice.” (Sophocles, Ln. 1571-1572) This is probably the most emotional relationship in the play, and it is a perfect example of why all people enjoy this play. Relationships such as this one have helped Sophocles’s play tremendously with regards to it being one of the most