Amani Hassani (Dubai)
‘The Story of Oedipus’ is a Greek legend that lies among others such as ‘Pandora’s Box’, or ‘Daedalus and Icarus’. The Story of Oedipus is a tragic one, though one that is attempting to convey a moral and message that was deemed important, and still is believed in by some.
Oedipus was a man that was born to have a terrible fate and destiny. The oracle tells his father Laius, the King of the Thebes, that his son Oedipus will eventually kill him and marry his wife, who was Oedipus’ mother. Displeased by this, King Laius took Oedipus when he was born and tied his hands and feet together, then left him on a mountainside to die instead of killing him upfront. Though King Laius’ intention was for Oedipus to die, he was rescued by a shepherd, who brought Oedipus to the King of Corinth, Polybus, who raised him instead of his biological father, King Laius.
Once Oedipus had aged and grown up into a man, he visited Delphi, and there he found out that his destiny was that he would kill his father and marry his mother. Oedipus was not informed that King Polybus and his wife were not his real biological parents, so he believed that he would kill King Polybus and marry his mother, the Queen of Corinth. Due to this, Oedipus left Corinth, and resolved to never return, as he thought he could prevent this fate by avoiding his ‘parents’. As he was leaving, Oedipus met an elderly man at a crossroad, and this man had five servants with him. Instead of passing him by, Oedipus and the old man got into a serious argument, which resulted in Oedipus killing the old man. However, this old man was actually King Laius, Oedipus’ biological father. Oedipus was unaware that he had just fulfilled half of the destiny he was so certain he could prevent. As he travelled, Oedipus arrived at Thebes, where he met a Sphinx. The Sphinx devoured and slaughtered anybody who passed by and anybody who could not answer the riddle: “What walks on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon, and three legs at night?” However, the Sphinx underestimated Oedipus, and Oedipus gave the correct answer: a human being. Furious, the Sphinx killed herself as she was so distraught over her riddle being solved.
The Thebans wanted to reward Oedipus for his bravery and aid in killing the Sphinx, and they did so by granting him an offer of marriage to the Queen of Thebes, Jocasta. Oedipus accepted the offer, and he married Queen Jocasta. After a few years, Oedipus and Jocasta have 4 children together, then a deadly plague infected Thebes. The oracle stated that the only way to stop this plague, which is killing hundreds, is to find the murderer of the former king, King Laius of Thebes. Oedipus began his search. But, the result he received is not one he was looking for. Not only does Oedipus find out that he killed King Laius, the old man he fought with, but he also discovers that he has married his mother and killed his father, fulfilling the tragic destiny he was sure he could avoid. As a result, Queen Jocasta kills herself when she learns that she had married her son, and Oedipus gouges his eyes out.
Now, I’m certain the story sounds non-sensical and outlandish -it could only be expected- though there is a moral to the story here: your destiny is not one you can avoid. Presumably, people living in the times where this legend was frequently told believed that the gods granted them destinies, and these were fates they could not prevent, as it would be going against the laws of life. This is what the Story of Oedipus is attempting to convey. Every person has a fate they are tied to, and this cannot be prevented, otherwise it will be their downfall. It is commonly accepted that the downfall of Oedipus was his pride. Oedipus believed that he, a human, could prevent something that was given to him by the gods. Whether destiny is real or not is another topic, and perhaps you could ponder on that question yourself now. Is destiny real?
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