63-65

=__Oedipus the King__=
 * //pg. 63-65, lines 1173-1239//**

SUMMARY:
In lines 1165 - 1167, Oedipus finds out that the baby that the shepherd has saved out of pity came from the house of Laius. On page 63, Oedipus continues interrogating the shepherd, who tells him that Jocasta, Oedipus' wife and mother, has given the baby to him to destroy. Jocasta has given the baby away out of fear of the prophecy, or the "evil oracles" (line 1176), which foretold that the baby is destined to kill his parents. However, the shepherd reveals that he did not kill the baby because he pitied it. Instead he sent it off to another country -- to Corinth.

At this moment, Oedipus reaches a revelation about who his real parents are, and the fulfillment of the prophecy; it is Oedipus who is the abandoned child of the house of Laius, and the one who has killed his father and slept with his mother. Upon this realization, all characters exit the stage, leaving only the chorus. The chorus, representing the people of Thebes, then convey their concerns and views of Oedipus' "savage fate"(64). They say that he is "luckless" (64) and that he leads a "miserable life" (64). They acknowledge the fact that he is their ruler while expressing their pity for him; hence, they "weep and cry" for Oedipus (65). At the end of the chorus' lines, a second messenger enters the scene.

The second messenger announces that the queen, Jocasta, has committed suicide. The following pages describe, in detail, the horrors of her suicide and Oedipus' reaction to the situation.

ANALYSIS:
Lines 1173 - 1239 describe the climax of the play, where the outcome of the play is determined upon this point of revelation. This point of revelation is an accumulation of suspence, where both Oedipus and the audience face the truth of Oedipus' actions and the fulfillment of Apollo's prophecy.Throughout the play, Oedipus and Jocasta have failed to connect the coincidental evidence that relate to the prophecy. However, Oedipus later learns of the identity of a shepherd whom had recieved the baby from the house of Laius. Jocasta solves the truth before Oedipus and flees the scene immediately. Oedipus, however, is insistent on finding out the whole story. He is determined to uncover the truth of his birth and threatens the shepherd into revealing the sequence of events.

These lines allow for a detailed character insight into Oedipus, as he finally figures out the truth of his birth. Oedipus remains in complete control of the situation -- energized and determined to uncover the entire story -- until the shepherd reveals the truth. Then, he suffers a tragic downfall, reduced from being a powerful leader to a vulnerable and weak character -- one who is "reduced to nought" (64). This fragility of mankind is further reflected and magnified by the chorus, who bring up the fact of him being "honored the highest of all honors" (64) to being a "poor wretch" (64).

The fulfillment of this prophecy, upon Oedipus' relevation of it, shows the limitations of free will and the relative weakness of mankind to fate or the gods. Prophecy plays an integral part in the plot of __Oedipus the King__; Oedipus has been told of his fate that he would kill his father and sleep with his mother since birth. As an infant, his feet were bound, leaving scars for a lifetime. His swollen feet, where he gets his name from, symbolize his confinement and constraint by the prophecy from birth.

Oedipus has always had a desire to flee from his fate. He is miraculously saved and sent to Corinth after being left on a mountain for death. He later flees Corinth, in fear of killing his father, only to end up in Thebes, claiming the leadership and wife of his birth father, Laius. In fact, in the crossroads, Oedipus is given a choice, yet unknowingly he chooses to murder his birth father, hence fulfilling the prophecy. Indeed, free will is implied to be no match against fate, and in the end, "time who sees all has found [Oedipus] out against [his] will" (65), meaning that his fate has caught up to him. This demonstrates the power of fate and prophecy over freedom and free will.