Two Paragraph Oedipus Response

Teiresias and Creon are correct that Oedipus “weaves” his own “doom,” in the sense that all of Oedipus’ decisions and actions lead to his demise, but the fact that all these choices were made in the attempt to avoid his foretold fate, Oedipus is also right in his claim that fate brought this curse on him. Unfortunately both Teiresias and Oedipus contradict their own statements, creating an underlying battle between free will and fate. Teiresias explains to Oedipus that, “it is not from me your fate will come / That lies within Apollo’s competence, / As it is his concern.” (Page 21) which conflicts his previous statement to Oedipus that, “You weave your own doom.” (Page 21) If Apollo has pre-decided Oedipus’ fate then how would Oedipus have the ability to have any hand in his own downfall, and how could he be held responsible. Can someone be held responsible for an evil they committed unknowingly, if so Oedipus’ ignorance would vindicate him. Teiresias further contradicts himself when he recognizes Oedipus’ sightlessness to the truth and the fact that a curse has been set upon him when he states to Oedipus that, “You do not even know the blind wrongs / That you have done them, on earth and in the / world below. / But the double lash of your parents’ curse will / whip you / Out of this land some day, with only night / Upon your precious eyes.” (Pages 22 – 23) Yet it is not only Teiresias who blurs the lines between fate and free will, Oedipus also sways between the two when recounting on the horror of his life.

             Oedipus continually insists that fate has brought a curse on him, blaming the gods for his fate. The instance where Oedipus questions, “What has God done to me?” (Page 71) shows that he blames God for what has happened to him rather than taking the responsibility for his own actions. Yet Oedipus contradicts himself in the Gods role in his actions with statements such as, “the god was Apollo. / He brought my sick, sick fate upon me. / But the blinding hand was my own!” (Page 72) in which he both places the responsibility of his fate on the Gods and takes ownership of his independent decision to punish himself. If the Gods and fate can be held accountable for the actions Oedipus’ took that led to him fulfilling his prophecy, then wouldn’t they also have to be responsible for his inevitable self-punishment, one that Teiresias even foretold.  Oedipus insists on taking ownership of his decision to blind himself, explaining, “This punishment / That I have laid upon myself is just.” (Page 73) yet this claim alludes to the existence of free will. Both Teiresias and Oedipus make statements for and against fate and free will leaving an ambiguity in the play over where the blame of Oedipus’ actions should be placed.  If free will exists then Oedipus can be held fully accountable for his actions, though a defense could be constructed based on the fact he was ignorant to the truth of his parents identities when he committed the trespasses against them. In contrast, if fate exists then all of the Gods planned all of Oedipus’ actions and therefore he cannot be accountable for any of his actions for the Gods are responsible for his decisions, and therefore responsible for the atrocities he committed. This fate verses free will debate is a prevalent underlying theme in Oedipus Rex and is the source of the uncertainty of who is to blame for Oedipus’ actions, Oedipus or the Gods.