Emily’s Workshop

In ancient Greek tragedy, characters often struggle against forces larger than themselves: fate, the gods, or even their own flaws. Sophocles’s Oedipus Rex is one of the most famous examples, telling the story of a king who tries to escape an olympus oracle’s prophecy only to fulfill it in the most tragic way. The tragic play explores timeless themes such as the search for truth, the limits of human power, and the cost of pride. Oedipus’s downfall shows the power of his fate, but also the role of his choices, pride and irony that the audience knows the truth before he does. In Oedipus Rex, Sophocles uses the tension between the light and darkness, the theme of fate vs. free will, and the effects of hubris to show that while Oedipus cannot escape his fate, his own traits and choices lead him directly into unavoidable tragedy.  

The theme of light and darkness reflects Oedipus’s journey from ignorance to knowledge. Tiresias, the blind prophet, can “see” the truth, while Oedipus, who has physical sight, is blind in reality. When Tiresias tells Oedipus the truth, he refuses to believe it and accuses the prophet of plotting with Creon to steal the throne. Oedipus claims he will bring “light” to Thebes by finding Laius’s killer, but instead he uncovers his own darkness. But later as he discovered the truth, Oedipus blinds himself, choosing physical darkness because he cannot face the light of what he has done. This reversal shows that true vision is not physical sight but understanding, and Oedipus’s tragedy comes from finally seeing the unbearable truth. 

The play demonstrates that fate is unavoidable, but human choices still matter. The prophecy that Oedipus will kill his father and marry his mother is fulfilled despite every attempt to stop it. Laius and Jocasta try to kill their baby, but he survives and gets adopted in another kingdom. When Oedipus later hears about the oracle, he leaves Corinth to protect his supposed parents, but yet fate still wins. Along his way, Oedipus freely chooses to kill Laius in anger at the crossroads and later on freely chooses to blind himself for self punishment. Fate sets the outcome, but Oedipus’s own traits, his pride, anger, and curiosity, determine the path. His tragedy is both chosen and destined.

Oedipus’s downfall is also driven by his hubris and highlighted by dramatic irony, which deepen the themes of fate and free will. Oedipus believes he can outsmart fate, first by fleeing Corinth to avoid harming his parents, and later by declaring he will solve Laius’s murder. His pride makes him confident that human action can defeat prophecy. At the same time, dramatic irony occurs throughout the play: the audience knows the prophecy is true, but Oedipus denies it until it is too late. For example, when Oedipus curses Laius’s killer, the audience already knows he is cursing himself. Oedipus’s pride leads him to ignore warnings and push forward with his investigation, while the audience watches with dread, fully aware of the truth. Sophocles uses this irony to show that Oedipus’s choices matter, but they only carry him faster toward the fate he cannot escape.

In conclusion, Oedipus Rex as a story is one of many unavoidable definitions. One can see that light and sight are key to understanding through Oedipus and Tiresias and their vision, but ultimately their fate is decided. This, along with the main plot of Oedipus’ self-fulfilling prophecy and his hubris, show the ultimate theme of one’s fate being unavoidable and inevitable in every way.