Sophocles' Oedipus the King warns the audience against hubris.

Oedipus the King's refusal to listen to warnings and trust in his own intelligence has been credited with his downfall, but Oedipus could have tried to avoid his fate by learning more from the Gods through prayer and contemplation.

Oedipus could have decided not to marry and abstained from any type of violence.

The fact that Oedipus left his home town introduced enough uncertainty.

Oedipus, like many heroes, believes that avoiding present settings or circumstances is enough to stop a bad outcome, but Sophocles suggests that this is against Nature.

I argue that the gods knew Oedipus’s dependence on his own pride and the human tendency to deny reality would be his own undoing.

Sophocles' Oedipus the King suggests that knowing about your future does not mean that you will prevent it.

Sophocles appears to reject reason and rely on the supernatural. If Oedipus had heeded the warnings of wise counsel, stayed in his hometown, abstained from violence, and decided not to marry, he may have avoided his fate.