Oedipus The King The Power of Fate
Fate, in the Websters Revised Unabridged Dictionary, is defined as “a prophetic declaration, oracle, what is ordained by the gods”. In the play, Oedipus Rex, fate played an important role in the lives of the characters. Oedipus is a complex character who, through slow realization, learns that one cannot escape fate. In Oedipus Rex, King Oedipus is a character who lived by fate and died by fate. King Laius the ruler of Thebes, has a son with his wife Queen Jocasta. His name is Oedipus. The soothsayer Teriresias, a loyal servant to the King and Queen tells them some disturbing news. Teriresias tells King Laius and Queen Jocasta that their son, Oedipus will kill his father and marry his mother. The king and queen make a decision to take the baby boy up to a mountain far away from the town. King Laius gives the baby to a servant and instructs him to bind the baby’s ankles and leave him on the mountain side to perish. ... This is how King Laius and Queen Jocasta try to avoid their fate. ... The shepherd brings the baby boy back to his city and gives him to King Polybus because the King and Queen could not have a child.