Oedipus Rex: Free Will or Destiny? A common debate that still rages today is whether we as a species have free will or whether some divine source, some call it destiny, controls our destiny. The same debate applies to Oedipus the King and Oedipus at Colonus. Does Oedipus control his actions or are they predetermined by the gods? It is this question that makes Oedipus a classic, and many different people think many different things. With all the oracles and talk of prophecies, it is obvious that there is divine intervention in Oedipus. But how strong is he and how much control does Oedipus really have? Destiny, or divine will, manifests itself in different ways. First, in Oedipus at Colonus, there is the oracle of Delphi telling Oedipus' parents and then himself that he will kill his father and marry his mother. Eventually it happens, proving that divine intervention occurs. Later, the prophet Tiresias tells Oedipus exactly what the oracle did, himself constituting another example of the divine will, that is, the gods speak through him. Divine intervention is also abundant in Oedipus at Colonus. In it, Oedipus tries to gain sympathy for himself by saying that all the sins committed in the previous play were the work of fate, thus proving the point of divine intervention in Oedipus the King. There are examples of divine intervention found only in Oedipus at Colonus, like all the prophecies of the oracle. First of all it is said that the city where Oedipus is buried will be blessed forever. Secondly, it is said that whoever has Oedipus on his side in the war will win. Finally, Oedipus' sons are predicted to kill each other in battle. All three prophecies come true, thus proving the existence of divine intervention. Divine intervention is certainly present, but free will also has its place. Before the show even begins, Oedipus chooses to leave his “parents” and move to Thebes. He then chooses, although dominated by anger, to kill an old man who blocks his path, who later turns out to be his real father, King Laius. Of course, it was fate that made Oedipus kill his father, but free will that made him kill Laius that day, in that way. After discovering that she has married his son, Jocasta chooses to kill herself. Nothing intervened or predicted his death, it was his choice.