In the play "Oedipus Rex," Sophocles centers the whole plot on the idea of a certain fate.
Fate is defined as an inevitable and often adverse outcome, condition, or end. In Oedipus Rex, there is one main fate. The whole plot of the play is actually built around the fate of King Oedipus.
When Oedipus was still developing in his mother's womb, Jocasta and Laius went to a soothsayer and had an oracle delivered to them. The oracle stated that Laius would be killed by his son, and that his son would sleep with his mother and have children with her later on in life. In order to prevent this from happening, after their son was born, Laius bound his newborn baby's feet together and left him for dead.
Later in life, the oracle was fulfilled, unbeknownst to Jocasta and Oedipus. The prediction was not believed to be true until after a plague fell upon the city of Thebes and a cure was sought after.
Cadmus Sowing the Dragon's teeth, by Maxfield Parr...
This image was first published in the 1 st (1876&n...
Oedipus and the Sphinx of Thebes, Red Figure Kylix...Oedipus's destiny to kill his father and sleep with his mother is the center point in this plot. Although this fate is initially hidden in the beginning of the play, it unfolds in the middle. It is not until Teresias comes and says that Oedipus is the one who kills King Laius that things start to unravel, and the hidden destiny is revealed.
You can easily see that Oedipus's fate is sealed once the connections are made. When Jocasta recounts the words of the oracle and the murder of her husband, and Oedipus shares his deep, murderous secret, things start to click. The plot of this play is easy to reveal if you understand what is going on.
In conclusion, the role of fate in "Oedipus Rex" is a major one. The whole plot...