How Does Oedipus Escape His Fate

“Oedipus Rex” by Sophocles is a Greek tragedy about a man named Oedipus who unwittingly fulfills his tragic fate by trying to escape it. Oedipus was the king of Thebes, the city he escaped to run away from his fate. When the priest informs him that the city is going through a terrible plague that Apollo cursed the city with due to injustice and That the only way to save the city from the plague is to find the person who murdered the previous king that’s when complication starts to rise. The search for the murder turn into a search for himself and his identity and leads him to a lot of horrific truths about him as well as a series of events that ends with his tragic and pitiful fall, and his transformation as a character from an arrogant and powerful king to miserable and humble blind man ashamed of seeing any person.
It’s debatable whether Oedipus was a mere toy in the hands of fate just a victim or did he have free will and agency when it comes to his future? I think the answer is a mix of both. According to Greek mythology a man’s fate can’t be altered and are inevitable to happen no matter where you go. This leads to the question if his fate is already determined by Apollo what can he possibly do about it? In the play his attempt to run away to prevent fulfilling the prophecy. I don’t think the outcome would’ve been different if he accepted his fate and stayed in Corinth. So despite his flawed characteristics, I still think he is a victim of fate and no control over the outcome of the ending and doesn’t deserve the miserable ending he