How Humanity Lacks Freewill as Illustrated by Sophocles Pay Oedipus

As a young man, Oedipus runs away from Corinth once he hears of the prophecy, which shows Oedipus murdering his father, and sleeping with his mother. His travels bring him to the crossroad, where he unknowingly meets, and proceeds to kill his father, Laius, in self defence. A crossroad implies choice, and the young Oedipus would agree fully with this statement. Oedipus believes that it is he who controls his destiny, not the gods. Oedipus shows this when he foolishly tells the chorus, "You pray to the gods? Let me grant your prayers” (Sophocles 171) However, Oedipus will find this to be untrue. Years later, In pursuit of Laius's murderer, Oedipus learns that it was he who murdered his father, as well as shared a bed with Jocasta, whom he learns to be his mother. This proves the prophecy of which Oedipus tried so hard to avoid, true. This in turn causes Jocasta to hang herself, and for Oedipus to stab out his eyes so that he did not have to see the world now that he knows the truth. Despite his best efforts, Oedipus was unable to manipulate the will of the gods, and had to accept his fate with honor so he could end his suffering. Sophocles argues in The Oedipus Trilogy that humanity has no free will. The more we struggle against the will of the gods, the more difficult our existence will be.

Throughout his life, Oedipus had tried to avoid the path the gods had set for him. He believed that he was in charge of his destiny, and there was no power of which could control him. From birth, his father had known of the prophecy, and had tried to prevent it himself by sending baby Oedipus with a shepherd, and ordered him to leave baby Oedipus in nature to die. This was not a choice by Laucis, but the will of the gods. But this was to no avail; the shepherd gave baby Oedipus to another shepherd, of Corinth, so he would grow up with the king and queen of Corinth. Years later, Oedipus had learned of the prophecy and ran from Corinth in an attempt to prevent the prophecy from becoming true. His travels brought him to crossroad where he kills his father, and later become king of Thebes. Once king of Thebes, he marries Jocasta, his mother, and has four children with her. Because of the events that transpire in Oedipus Rex, it is clear that had Oedipus been left in Thebes, he would have never ran from Corinth, but instead run from thebes and never return, causing Laucis and Jocasta to remain king and queen of Thebes. This shows that man does not make his own choices, but is instead fooled to believe that it is he who is charge of his destiny. Laucis tried to prevent the prophecy by banishing baby Oedipus from the kingdom. This was part of the prophecy, and the reason he was to be killed by Oedipus.

Laucis believed, when giving away baby Oedipus, that he was defying the gods and preventing the gods will from being true. However, he did not think the shepherd would simply give away baby Oedipus, rather than kill him. The shepherd knew better than to try and defy the gods, and as a result gave baby Oedipus away to Corinth in hope that he would one day learn of the prophecy, and fulfill it. This was successful as Oedipus did lean of the prophecy, however, he did not try to fulfill it, and instead, tried to avoid it at all cost. Oedipus ran away from Corinth in attempt to prevent the prophecy from becoming reality, but he is actualy bringing the prophecy to fruition. This is another example that man does not have free will. Oedipus ran from Corinth in attempt to prevent the prophecy, but he did not know that in doing so he was continuing with the prophecy. He fools himself into thinking that he is making these decisions on his own.

Humanity cannot escape the will of the gods, and the more man denies this, the more they will suffer. This is shown through the actions of Oedipus throughout the play. He flees from Corinth, with the mindset of defying the gods. He then meets with a man at a crossroad and kills him in self defence, not knowing that the man is his father. He continues to become king of thebes, where he unknowingly continues to fulfill the prophecy. Oedipus still has the mindset that he has outwitted the gods, and has made his own destiny, so he marries Jocasta, and proceeds to have four children with her. Now, a plague has set onto Thebes, so Oedipus sends Creon to find the oracle in hope to end the plague. Creon returns with news from the Oracle on how to stop the plague. The murderer of Laucis is still in Thebes and must be driven out. Oedipus unknowingly curses himself with the speech he gave to the thebans, “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” (Sophocles 233). Jocasta tells Oedipus the story of how Laucis died, which causes him to realise that he has been fulfilling the prophecy his entire life. Once Jocasta hears of the news, she decides she must hang herself because she has no more honor. Oedipus sees Jocasta dangling from the ceiling, and decides he must stab his eyes out because he cannot see the world now that he knows the truth. Oedipus wishes to be banished from Thebes, and Creon takes over power of Thebes.

Oedipus has gone through his entire life with the mindset of defying the gods. He tried as hard as he could to prevent the prophecy from coming true, and because he struggled with such greatness, he has to suffer with equal greatness. He has caused his daughters to live lives with no respect, and ensured them to die alone. His sons he disowned, wanting nothing to do with them, as they were now honorless. Tiresias tells Oedipus he does not want to know the truth, and it would ultimately lead to his demise, however, provoked and begins to tell Oedipus of his fate. "You mock my blindness? Let me tell you this. You with your precious eyes, you're blind to the corruption of your life, to the house you live in, those you live with-who are your parents? Do you know?” (Sophocles 183).

Upon Creon's arrival with the news of the oracle, Oedipus wishes for the news to be shared in front of the citizens of thebes. Because of this, he was unable to protect himself from public shame. The chorus begins, "...is there a man more agonized? More wed to pain and frenzy? Not a man on earth, the joy of your life ground down to nothing O Oedipus, name for the ages" (Sophocles 234). It was because he fought so hard to defy the gods that Oedipus had to meet such a terrible fate. Now that he has seen the truth, he wished he had not, and stabbed out his eyes.

However, truly, this must have been the fate of Oedipus; live a hard life, only to be greeted with an excellent afterlife. It was not because of choice that he killed his father and married his mother, but was simply the will of the gods. It was no coincidence that his father sent him as a baby with a shepherd to die, but instead the shepherd gave him to Corinth. This was all part of the fate of Oedipus. He was led to believe that he did not kill his father, because the king of Corinth had died of natural causes, and his mother still remained in Corinth. But when he learned that it was he who murdered Laucis, his father, and husband of Jocasta, that he had fulfilled the prophecy. It was by no choice that Jocasta hanged herself, and Oedipus stabed out his eyes. By will of the gods, Oedipus was to live out the rest of his days as a blind, honorless wanderer. This is because the gods had planned for him to live a hard life so that he could be granted an excellent afterlife. “Now as we keep our watch and wait the final day, count no man happy till he dies, free of pain at last” (Sophocles 251) When his time came, he had fully accepted his death and faith with honor and dignity.

Sophocles argues in The Oedipus Trilogy that humanity has no free will. “What should man fear? It’s all chance, chance rules our lives. Not a man on earth can see a day ahead, groping through the dark.” (Sophocles 215). The more we struggle against the will of the gods, the more difficulty our existence will be. Everything that occurred in The Oedipus Trilogy did truly happen for a reason, and that reason was the gods will. Every action Oedipus took was not by choice, but because fate brought him to do it. Oedipus killing his father, sleeping with his mother, and stabbing his eyes out were not punishment for going against the will of the gods, but was instead, his destiny. He meant to live a painful life, and be greeted with an excellent afterlife. It is shown thoroughly through these plays that man does not have control over his destiny, but instead is controlled by the path predetermined by the gods. As demonstrated via Oedipus, Sophocles believes that, no matter good or bad, we must follow our destiny provided to us by the gods., and the more we refuse this, the more our existence will suffer.