Home > Oedipus Rex Summary & Study Guide > Oedipus Rex Group > Discussion Board

Is Oedipus' tragic end destined or could he have avoide it?

Since the play is a Greek tragedy, and since the Greeks believed that our lives were controlled by fate, then I have to say there's no way Oedipus could have avoided what happened. In fact, you might begin to think that the moral of the story is that you'll get in worse trouble if you do try to outwit fate. What if Oedipus's parents had not abandoned him? What if the servant had left him to die? The play seems to be telling us to accept fate and go on.