ABSTRACT
The kind of necessity to which the actions of the heroes and combatants of the war of Troy are subject in the way we have seen also hangs over the whole of Oedipus’ life. Indeed in Sophocles’ play King Oedipus, the tragic hero’s fate is sealed even before his birth. His parents who know it through Apollo’s oracle try their best to escape it and so does Oedipus when he comes to know of it, but in vain. Indeed the play represents Oedipus pitting his individual strength against the fate announced for him by Apollo and only succeeding in precipitating it. The things he does to change that fate – patricide and incest – are the very actions that bring him nearer to the fulfilment of Apollo’s prophecy. His very belief and confidence that he can circumvent the fate that the gods had in store for him is an expression of his character. Thus in the play Oedipus’ fate works through his character.
