In the article "The Greatness of Oedipus the King," Charles Segal offers an accurate description of Oedipus that states: "the search for the origins and meaning of our life, our balance between one and many selves, our recognition of the large areas of darkness about who we really are, and the effort to explore the essential mystery of our selfhood" (Segal 73). Throughout the ironic tragedy of Oedipus, many universal questions are presented to the reader. For example, is life a random set of events or are we destined to be a product of a pre-determined fate? Furthermore, the play serves to question human mortality and the purpose and meaning for existence. Throughout Oedipus" trials and circumstances, all of these questions are thoroughly investigated. .
Sophocles suggests that life is predetermined by his use of oracles and prophets within the work. For example, prophets predict that Oedipus will kill his father and sleep with his mother. However, Sophocles later implies that Oedipus did indeed make a willful choice in describing what will happen to Laius's murderer. "I shall rid us of this pollution," states Oedipus of the murder's fate (Knox 10). Thus, Oedipus has unknowingly set himself up to be banished from the kingdom. Furthermore, this is an example of Sophocles" talent for weaving the universal question of predestination into this tale of irony.
As previously stated, Segal believes that Oedipus explores the search for self and delves into the dark aspects of our persona(Segal 73). "Fail to solve the mystery of my birth? Never!" (Knox 77). Because of his stubbornness, Oedipus finally learns his true identity and falls from being a king to become a blind, weak, old man. Segal writes, "The hero chosen to perform exceptional deeds has also to undergo exceptional suffering as the polluted parricide and outcast who has infected his city" (Segal 73). Even though Oedipus committed two very terrible crimes, he did them unknowingly and is, therefore, still a hero.