In the beginning of the play when the outbreak of plague in Thebes that could only be stopped by finding King Laius’ killer. Oedipus curses the killer to live alone in the mountain. , “Now my curse on the murderer, Whoever he is a lone man unknown in his crime or one among many, let that man drag out his life in agony, step by painful step” (Lines 280-283). Oedipus uses his free will and tells Creon that the killer of King Laius will be sent to exile. He could of let God have his way with the killer but he choose to take the punishment into his own hands.
Oedipus wanted to find out the truth about his past. Jocasta and Laius were Oedipus’ parents. His wife, Jocasta, told him to “Stop in the name of god, if you love your own life, call off this search! My suffering is enough. Listen to me” (1603-1605). Oedipus replied, “Listen to you? No more. I must know it all, I must see the truth at last” (1169-1170). These quotes prove that Oedipus uses free will to find the truth out about his parents. When Jocasta pleads for him to not look for the truth he does not listen to her. Oedipus found the truth and was not thrilled with the answer.
Stabbing yourself in the eye and blinding yourself is free will. Oedipus blinds himself because he found out the Jocasta is his mother and Laius, the man he killed, is his father. He realizes that he married his mother and killed his father. He finds Jocasta hung in their room and goes crazy. He stabs his eyes and blinds himself. Talking to himself Oedipus says, “You, you’ll see no more pain I suffered, all the pain I caused! Too long you looked on the ones you never should have seen, blind to the ones you longed to see, to know! Blind from this hour on! Blind in the darkness, blind!” (1402-1411). He chooses to blind himself instead of facing his responsibilities and accept the past and move on.
Oedipus uses free will to make his own decisions therefore making his own fate. He chooses to make the killer of Laius live alone in the mountains. He also decided to keep searching for the truth about his past even though Jocasta told him it was not a good idea. Oedipus stabs himself in the eyes and causes himself to go blind, that was his own free will. Oedipus wanted to make his own fate and keep his future in his own hands. He needed to be responsible for his own actions and it could’ve cost him his life. Having free will is the ability to design your own personal fate.
