After reading Oedipus The King, one can come to the conclusion that destiny is a main theme of the play. No matter how hard a man tries to change his destiny, nothing can take it off its path. What is prophesied will come to pass. As seen by Oedipus, a man who tried so hard to change his faith but in the end could do nothing. Before he was born, it was decided what course his life would take. Jokasta was told by a prophet what her son was destined to do, “It said that Laios was destined to die at the hands of a son born to him and me” (726.829-830). Oedipus received a similar prophecy from a oracle in his younger years. The oracle told Oedipus, “I would be my mother’s lover, I would show the world children no one could bear to look at, I would murder the father whose seed I am” (728.911-914). These two prophecies very similar, about the same man, came from two different prophets. As you know from the reading these actions were carried out by Oedipus. There is a possibility that his action could have been avoided if the people that raised him told him that they were not his actually parents. That was a possibility, however that was not in the gods plans.
There was another point that I found interesting. While Oedipus was in the process of uncovering the truth about his birth, multiple characters advised him not ask any question. They told him the truth would only lead to pain, but the mans thirst for knowledge was to strong to stop him. Once the truth was revealed nothing but pain and suffering came from it. As the saying goes, “curiosity kill the cat”.
I agree with your analysis on the theme of destiny as a main theme. It seems like Oedipus was cursed since birth and even when he tries to escape his fate by moving to Thebes, he still fulfills the prophesy of killing his father and marrying his mother. This idea that his life was cursed by the gods reminded me of Odysseus and his problems. The Chorus say near the end of the story, “Now look at what wreckage the seas of savage trouble have made of his life” (1738-1739). This line made me think of how Poseidon, god of the seas, would constantly stir up troubles in Odysseus’ life.