Incendie du Kent (1825)

by Théodore de Gudin

What is fate? Fate is a mysterious power that is beyond people’s control and people can’t disobey it. In Oedipus the King, the fate is called “prophecy”. And Oedipus knew about his prophecy — he would kill his father and lay with his mother. However, he was not just waiting for the prophecy to come true. He thought, once he left Corinth, the prophecy would not come true. Probably, some people would think Oedipus decided to leave because he didn’t want face up to his prophecy, which shows Oedipus’s cowardliness. However, in my point of view, Oedipus’s leaving is the action he takes to protect his family since he believes his foster parents are his blood parents. This action shows gratitude. He wanted to have control over his fate and not be submissive to a predetermined life. Ironically, he never knew he was brought up by other people instead of his real parents. And he killed his natural father in his escape from his adoptive father. He did fight with his fate. But, he never broke the prophecy.

People have tried to fight against their fate. After reading Oedipus the King, a question that comes to mind is: Can humans really control their fate?