The victim of destiny in Oedipus RexThe question was asked whether Oedipus was a victim of destiny or of his own actions. This essay will show that Oedipus was a victim of fate, but he was not a puppet as he freely and actively sought his downfall, despite being repeatedly warned of the inevitable repercussions of his actions. When first thinking about this topic, I speculated that perhaps it was Oedipus's destiny to suffer, but a friend asked me to explain why Oedipus, in the process of gouging out his eyes, explicitly exclaims: You will no longer look at the misery that surrounds me, The horrors... ... middle of paper ......ology of the great myths and epics. Illinois: Passport Books, 1988. Segal, Charles. Oedipus Tyrannus: tragic heroism and the limits of knowledge. New York: Twayne Publishers, 1993. Sophocles. “Oedipus the King.” An Introduction to Literature, 11th ed.Eds. Sylvan Barnett, et al. New York: Longman, 1997. 800-836.