Fate and free will.

        One example of Oedipus’s free will was the fact that he took it upon himself to travel from Corinth to Thebes so that he would not have the opportunity to kill his adopted father and marry his adopted mother. Another example of Oedipus showing free will arose when he killed Laius. He could have let Laius pass without any confrontation but instead killed him over who would pass in the street first. This caused a lot of turmoil in Thebes and nervous tension in Oedipus’s life. Oedipus utilized his free will by not listening to people who told him his fate; for example, when Tiresias told Oedipus his fortune, that he would kill his father and marry his mother, Oedipus immediately brushed him off and condemned him. Before Oedipus stabbed his eyes out, he proclaimed, “you shall not see me nor my crime, not see my present shame, go dark for all time blind.” He took it upon himself to thrust his eyes out. He did this because he couldn’t bare the shame of his life and he did not want to see what his life would transpire to be.

        While the outcome was predetermined, Oedipus used his free will to determine how the events leading to the outcome would happen. The gods knew what would happen to Oedipus in the end, but did not take it upon themselves to make it occur. The act of Oedipus actually killing Laius, his real father, and marrying his mother, was his act of free will even though the outcome of the event was already predestined. While Oedipus tried to find out his true identity and find the killer of Laius he only tried to prevent his downfall once, in the beginning of the play and that was by leaving Corinth to get away from his assumed parents. During his reign he did not try to prevent his downfall. If he wanted to prevent his ruin he could have found out the truth secretly or he could have taken it upon himself to look for Laius’s killer or he could have kept the news to himself and no one would have ever known.

        In conclusion, fate and free will took place in the play. The gods knew what would happen to Oedipus and however Oedipus determined him self is how it would occur. It leads to wonder if our lives are head by free will or fate or if they go hand and hand.