Oedipus The King: Martyr

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No one escapes fate unscathed. In a world where the Gods control every man’s fate, Oedipus’ fate was entirely predestined to be full of tragedy and horror. While believably taking precautions against his monstrous prophesy, Oedipus was unaware that he only steered himself closer to his own demise; from the moment he left Corinth, he unintentionally created a ruin on his parents and on Thebes. His valiant traits of honor, tenacity, and morality, along with his fear of his dreadful prophesy, alas, reinforced this travesty as well. Oedipus is the hero of the play because he puts his duty to his people before himself in his endeavor. As a martyr to his belief of keeping his word, he set the standard for righteousness by accepting responsibility for his wrongdoings rather than going unpunished for his actions because of his royal …show more content…
Being victim to an appalling premonition, Oedipus unwillingly fell into his demise. Fate influenced Oedipus’ life directly towards the prophecy; by running away from his adoptive parents and marrying the queen of Thebes, Oedipus’ good-willed actions only brought him closer to this travesty. Oedipus ultimately was a pawn of fate, rather than a fool, for he only accorded to fate’s positive aspects: “The god was Apollo. He brought my sick, sick fate upon me … hell of Oedipus, whom the gods hate” (71). This use of hyperbole by Sophocles’ demonstrates how emotionally conflicted Oedipus was against the Gods’ for their torment upon him; he believed himself to be the Gods’ champion before he realized that he was their objective all along. Oedipus, however, never stopped being a hero, for he set the example of fulfilling the God’s commands and obeying them even when condemned to suffering. As a leader of his people, he knew that order held the people from anarchy, so going against the Gods publicly would have brought further chaos to
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