The Oedipus Rex by Sophocles is a classical Greek tragedy. The roots of tragedy can be traced all the way back to ancient Greek culture. In the traditional meaning, it is a play that deals with weighty topics, as opposed to the lighter fare of a comedy. All throughout the play, a supernatural concept of fate is called upon. Fatalism, the notion that individual acts are shaped by fate, providence, the divine, or other supernatural powers, is a central topic in ancient Greek theater (Cockburn). Invoking fate or adopting a fatalistic worldview is shorthand for believing that crucial factors in the origin, direction, reward, and punishment of human life are beyond one’s control. Oedipus Rex is a stark depiction of man’s helplessness in the face of higher supernatural powers.
The story revolves around Oedipus’s attempts to use his own free will to defy the prophecy that had been given to him by the Oracle of Delphi. Oedipus will kill his father and marry his mother, the oracle says. There is no escaping one’s predetermined fate, as demonstrated by Oedipus Rex’s story. The protagonist, Oedipus, has his fate foretold by the Oracle of Delphi. Though Oedipus does everything in his power to prevent it, the prophecy always comes true. The Oracle of Delphi is an example of a supernatural feature. It was believed that Apollo used this instrument to make prophecies about the future of the ancient Greeks (Pillinger). Ultimately, the prophecy concerning Oedipus is fulfilled, leading people to believe that their destinies are predetermined by the gods.
In the play, Sophocles portrays destiny as the divine will. Thus, the play is replete with instances of fate, destiny, and circumstance. Oedipus, the tragic hero, is a helpless pawn in the hands of the gods, whose plans for him are already set in stone. Tiresias, the blind prophet, is a personification of fate and the bridge between the supernatural and the mundane. To be sure, Tiresias will be the very first figure to tell Oedipus the truth: “This is Tiresias, this is the holy prophet in whom, alone of all men, truth was born” (Sophocles 1263). Tiresias anticipates Oedipus murdering Laius outright, asserting, “I say that you are the murderer whom you may seek” (Sophocles 1264). In this sense, the supernatural plays a vital role for the main protagonist, whose life is drastically changed after the prophecy. Tiresias is a metaphor for the truth and a higher power of fate, which is rejected by a vain monarch but ultimately proves to be true.
The play’s characters stand in for all of ancient Greece’s people, who, like them, are trapped in a maze of delusions. The Sphinx is a good example of a supernatural flying female creature with a lion’s torso and a human head. The entire city was under her spell, awaiting someone who could solve it. “Man, who crawls in infancy, walks upright in his prime, and leans on a cane in old age,” said Oedipus as the proper answer to her riddle (Sophocles). Oedipus saved Thebes by correctly answering the Sphinx’s riddle, and in gratitude, Creon gave him the monarchy of Thebes and the spouse of Queen Jocasta, who had lately lost her husband. As a result, while he was off on his adventure to try to foil the prophecy, everything that needed to happen to make it come true was actually taking place. The supernatural entity in the face of the Sphinx is yet another encounter, indicating that the protagonist’s fate is predetermined and inevitable.
When Oedipus returned to Thebes, he was hailed as the greatest man alive since he had vanquished the Sphinx and saved the city. A disease befalls the city Oedipus saved after he stubbornly refuses to accept responsibility for his actions, which angers the gods. While Oedipus succeeded in rescuing the town, the gods were able to do considerably more damage. As the city’s leader, Oedipus bears the brunt of the gods’ punishment for the city of Thebes. Oedipus thinks they can compete with the gods if they just know what the future holds. Sophocles uses this struggle between mortal might and divine majesty to teach us that defying the gods is futile. It is pointless to try to go against one’s fate, seeing as how human beings have no chance of fully comprehending the supernatural.
There are multiple references to the supernatural throughout the play. In an effort to prevent the fulfillment of the prophecy, Oedipus murders his father and marries his mother. Ironic twists and turns make this an intriguing epic tragedy that beautifully depicts human nature’s mysteries, ambiguities, and intrigues influenced by the higher power. Oedipus has no choice but to accept his predetermined fate, but after facing the worst that life has to offer, he is at peace with it. The role the supernatural plays in Oedipus Rex is to make fun of the mistaken belief that humans have free will. In the face of overwhelming evidence, the fact of inevitability and fatalism in humanity is derived from the core of the play.
Works Cited
Cockburn, David. “Fatalism: Thoughts about tomorrow’s sea battle.” Philosophy, vol. 94, no. 02, Cambridge UP (CUP), Feb. 2019, pp. 295–312. Web.
Pillinger, Emily. Cassandra and the poetics of prophecy in Greek and Latin literature. Cambridge UP, 2019.
Sophocles, E. Oedipus the King (Oedipus Rex). CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2010.