Oedipus: Puppet of the Gods Essay Example

“set off for a foreign country, groping the ground before him with a stick”, which is of course a reference to Oedipus’ future exile from Thebes.

With all of this predetermined, it would be absurd to consider Oedipus a free agent. Another reason that Oedipus should not be considered a free agent is because it would contradict the underlying theme of the play. Sophocles bases the play on the idea that destiny is determined by prophecy. Every event in the play is based on one prophecy or another.For example, Creon’s meeting with an oracle is the initiator of the search for Laius’ killer. Time and time again, Apollo is referenced as the supreme controller of the universe.

In this type of environment, it would be out of place to have a protagonist act as a free agent. It only makes sense for Sophocles to make Oedipus a puppet of the gods. One of the greatest minds of all time, Sigmund Freud, described Oedipus best as “a tragedy of fate”. Oedipus is undeniably a victim of fate.There is nothing that Oedipus does that causes him to kill his father and to marry his mother.

In fact, there is nothing that he can do to prevent such an outcome. Clearly, Sophocles uses Oedipus to convey the Greek idea that it is truly impossible to escape prophecy and that the gods control everything. He tries to show that while there will always be those who doubt the power of prophecy, like Oedipus’ wife and mother Jocasta, men will always be puppets of the gods. For Oedipus, prophecy is simply inescapable.