Oedipus the King is a play about a famous king and his struggle between free will and his supposed destiny. It was prophesied that Oedipus would kill his father and marry his mother. Upon learning of the prophecy, Oedipus takes immediate action by leaving his hometown of Corinth and avoiding his supposed parents. In Oedipus the King, Sophocles shows that Oedipus' actions contribute to his downfall; It is his quick temper, his enormous pride, and his impulsive nature that drive him to make the decisions that set in motion the course of events that not only lead to his own downfall, but, ironically, the fate he so desperately seeks. to escape. King is full of examples of Oedipus' irascibility. When the blind prophet Tiresias first arrives in Thebes and refuses to tell Oedipus what he knows, the king becomes angry and begins to verbally attack him. Tiresias, fed up, tells Oedipus that he is the murderer (Sophocles line 413). This, of course, does not calm Oedipus' anger and sends him into a fit of rage. Therefore, he accuses his brother-in-law of treason: “I see everything, the same marauding thief plotting to steal my crown and power” (Sophocles lines 596-598). Without the ridiculous outbursts of rage he would never have killed Laius and these fatal events would not have occurred. Edpio's anger is not easily tamed due to his inflated ego. Self-proclaimed champion of Apollo (Sophocles lines 154-155), Oedipus is clearly an arrogant individual. This is shown firsthand when Tiresias arrives at the palace. Oedipus welcomes him with open arms, proclaiming: “O Tiresias, master of the mysteries of our life… Blind as you are, you can feel even more what disease torments our city. You, my lord, are the only shield, the only savior of whom we... in the center of the card... for his choices. The prophecy controls part of Oedipus' life, but that's because the fear of it coming true drives the characters to do bad things. Throughout the play we are given evidence showing his poor decision-making ability and his anger issues, but never any definitive proof that Oedipus' future is out of his control. Oedipus the King tells of Oedipus' struggle with his destiny. It is Oedipus' irascibility, pride and poor decision-making ability that lead him to make the choices that lead to his death. Oedipus and his family act to ensure that the prophecy that he would kill his father and sleep with his mother does not come true. The show is saturated with irony. Oedipus heads straight for his destiny after trying to avoid it for most of his life. Although fate played a small role in spurring Oedipus' actions, it was ultimately he who brought upon himself his downfall..