A story of fate versus free will, innocence versus guilt, and truth versus renunciation, Sophocles plunges Oedipus the King into suspense through his use of dramatic irony and achieves an excellent tragedy. The drama opens and we meet Oedipus trying to understand why his land is cursed and why his people are suffering. His quest to find out who caused the fall of Thebes ultimately leads to its downfall. We learn of his triumphs when he saved the people of Thebes by solving the riddle of the Sphinx. His character therefore reflects one who has the capacity to seek the truth and who also has the flaw of pride. He reacts rashly when confronted by Teiresias and Creon when their revelations threaten his reality. This certainly reflects the attitude of a man lacking patience and self-control. We thus see how he could have reacted to Laius, many years ago, at the symbolic crossroads. We may wonder if Oedipus could have escaped his destiny, a destiny already predetermined by the gods. Throughout the play, his character reveals how he determines his behavior which leads to his revelation and self-destruction. Oedipus is very sure of who he is and what he means to his people. When Creon returns from Delphi with news of the oracle, he urges Oedipus to receive the news privately, but his response is: "Speak/speak to us all." I weep for these, my people, / far more than I fear for my own life” (104-6). This approach goes against Oedipus because it ensures that the truth is revealed to everyone. He continues to make hasty outbursts: “Now curse the murderer. Whoever he is, /…/ may the curse that I have just cast on him strike me” which ultimately seals his fate (279-87). Oedipus is a puppet of ......middle of paper ......arts to resist the prophecy. Oedipus's revelation of the truth came from his incessant investigations and abuse of the possessors of the truth. Despite this horrible crime, Oedipus takes responsibility and does not want to see anymore, so he tears out his eyes in the final symbolism. He now has full vision but doesn't want to see anything. Did Oedipus take the necessary steps to undo the prophecy? Indeed, Oedipus left Corinth to try to resist the oracle's prophecy, but he made destructive choices by killing a man old enough to be his father and marrying a woman old enough to be his mother. Surely if Oedipus had been more vigilant, less proud and had made more informed decisions, he might have been able to change his destiny. Works Cited Lawall, Sarah N. “Oedipus the King.” The Norton Anthology of Western Literature. 8th ed. Flight. 1. New York: WW Norton, 2006. 612-652. Print.