Three oracles and the triple crossroads: fate and free will in Oedipus the King

Abstract

Oedipus the King represents the process of awakening of Oedipus, who is seeking answers to his identity and the secrets implied in oracles. Oedipus recognizes the harsh reality of oracles and his own identity through extreme suffering. There are three oracles in the play. Oedipus hears at Apollo’s temple in Delphi that he is destined to marry his mother and murder his father. Jocasta mentions the oracle Laius heard in the past that his son would kill him. Creon conveys the oracle’s message that the murderer of King Laius must be expelled to remove the plague from Thebes. These three oracles mentioned by Oedipus, Jocasta, and Creon, are related to the symbolic meaning of the triple crossroads. The spot where three roads meet is the place where Oedipus and Laius met. Crossroads are a traditional symbol of choice, the decision on which way to go, representing past, present, and future. Oedipus makes a fateful decision, the killing of his father, at the crossroads. Oedipus’ fate was predetermined from birth, but he is not a human being without free will. This paper discusses the relationship between fate and free will, focusing on the symbolic meaning of the three oracles and the triple crossroads.