Essay On Oedipus Rex Failed As A Result Of Character

It is often said that the tragic end of Oedipus and, in fact, his entire life, is an act played out by fate, that his downfall was destined and could not be prevented. I disagree with this view and believe that Oedipus had the potential and will to be a great man and king however, his own character prevented him from achieving greatness and brought about his ultimate downfall. It is said that, from the very beginning, when King Laius of Thebes orders Oedipus to be killed to prevent the prophecy from coming true, he actually set off the sequence of events that actually lead to the predicting coming true. However, I argue that, if Laius had not acted to defeat fate, he would have saved himself, his wife as well as his son.
Similarly, Oedipus grows up ignorant of his true lineage and when confronted by the prophecy, he too, like Laius, refuses to acknowledge that his life is governed by fate and hence acted in a manner that led his to destruction. When Oedipus learns through an oracle that he is destined to kill his father and marry his own mother, he is revolted. He is too arrogant to acknowledge that his life is governed by Gods and that he needs their favor to save him from committing both, murder and incest. He believes that man makes his own destiny through his actions and refuses to believe the oracle’s prophecy will ever come true. Hence, like his biological father, he too is adamant in his quest to defeat fate acts recklessly which leads to his ultimate downfall.
Unlike some views that suggest that Oedipus was good man who was helpless to save himself from fate, I believe that it was Oedipus’ own character that destroyed him, not fate. Although he was an outstanding man, renowned for his intelligence and his sincere concern for his people, a devout man and an great ruler, Oedipus was not perfect and had several character faults. He was known to be swift to anger, prone to making hasty and often rash decisions and easily aggravated. The fame of his intellect imbibed him over-confidence.
When, on the way to Thebes, he is nearly killed by a speeding chariot, Oedipus is so angered that he does not attempt to ask the man to identify himself and kills the offender. Unknown to Oedipus, he had just killed Laius, King of Thebes and his biological father. Some people might say that it was fate that brought Oedipus to that place and made him commit murder. However, I argue that, it was due to his short tempered, rash nature, arrogance as well as lack of caution that Oedipus fulfilled the first part of the prophecy. He proceeds towards Thebes where he solves the famous riddle of the Sphinx, delivering the Thebans from its scourge.
When Oedipus solved the riddle of the Phoenix and was named king by the Thebans, it further added to pride and self-worth. On meeting Jocasta, he falls in love with her and marries her. This reveals his lack of caution. Oedipus is so blinded by his confidence that he fails to see that he is marrying a woman twice his age, a woman who could easily be his mother. Hence, unknowingly, in an attempt to prove that he is above fate, Oedipus fulfills the second part of the prophecy as well by marrying his biological mother. Once again, this proves that it was not fate that made him commit incest but his own character fault.
The reverence of his people further adds to his pride in his own abilities. He believes that he has defeated the designs of fate by his own will and efforts but the opposite, in fact, is true. As the years pass, his arrogance grows along with his prosperity and he soon forgets the prophecy that predicted his doom. Despite being an intelligent man, he failed to notice that he had killed someone old enough to be his father and married a woman old enough to be his mother. This is a great mistake that Oedipus blindly made and it had nothing to do with fate.
When the Thebans raise the issue of finding the murderer of the ex-king, Oedipus swears to uncover the identity of the killer and rid the land of the plagues. So blinded is he in his quest for truth that he begins suspecting those he once trusted. When the soothsayer Teiresias warns him to let the investigation be, he condemns him and hence forces him to reveal the truth that it was Oedipus who had killed King Laius, repeating the original prophecy, that the killer had murdered his own father and had married his own mother. This revelation, again, some might say was destined to be made. However, I argue that it was Oedipus who forced this truth upon himself through his persistent denials.
When the prophecy of his childhood returns to haunt him, Oedipus refuses to believe it again. When the words of the soothsayer are backed by the shepherd, Oedipus cannot now doubt that the prophecy was true and he was nothing but a puppet in the hands of destiny. Jocasta hangs herself out of shame and Oedipus blinds himself. People say that thus fate’s design is finally carried out. However, I disagree and argue that Oedipus could have prevented all of these events had his character and nature been different.
His anger led him to kill his father and his lack of caution that did not stop him from marrying Jocasta. It was his adamant nature and extreme self belief that led him to fulfill the prophecy part by part, not fate. The discovery of the truth was also entirely due to Oedipus’ heedless nature. If he had not pursued the investigation, he would have remained oblivious to the truth, even though the prophesy had been fulfilled, and continued to lead a prosperous life with Jocasta. Hence, it can be said that it was not fate that destroyed Oedipus but his own character faults.