hat Polybus and Merope were not actually his parents. This knowledge along with the oracle of Apollo, at Delphi marked the reversal of situation that saw one of “the great men” of this world fall from power only to become a disgrace to himself and the Thebian people. At the climax of this recognition scene Oedipus takes his punishment upon himself, gouging out his own eyes so to never again look upon those he had shamed. Ironic is a man who went through life fearing his fate, not able to see his misfortunes unfolding before the very eyes he would later destroy. In closing, without question Oedipus the King is a tragedy, not only does it satisfy the moral sense, it also tells a story of unfortunate reversal of situation and excites pity for Oedipus. However some critics would not agree that it is a tragedy of fate, this to me is absurd. To argue that the misfortunes of Oedipus were brought on by acts of his own free will would defile the Sophoclean meaning behind this play. It should now be quite evident that Oedipus was cursed with a predestination fit for no mortal human being. The misfortunes he experienced were not due to his own actions but rather were cast upon him by the gods and only through divine intervention was the oracle of Apollo, at Delphi fulfilled. Word Count: 925 ...
