In Oedipus the King, feet, namely Oedipus's swollen feet, represent prophecy and its divine power to bind people's fates together in a preordained web of events.
Because Oedipus literally translates to "swollen feet," there is a large emphasis on the scar that he received from having his ankles bound together as a child. Although both his mother and father are also naturally bound by the same prophecy, Oedipus's scar separates him because he is the catalyst that physically does each action--making him the central point of his family's fate and the one who receives the most suffering. In this sense, Oedipus's feet impel him to walk a singular fateful path that leads to both his destruction and the destruction of others closest to him. After the play's climax, it is determined that Oedipus must "drag out his life in agony, step by painful step," illustrating that, even after his prophecy has fulfilled itself, Oedipus's feet are still bound to a singular path (283). Essentially, the God's have determined his life's course from the day he was born to the day he will die.
The scar he received is not only significant because it marks his fate from day one, but also because it is the central clue that Oedipus uses to determine the validity of his prophecy. Every event such as killing his father at a three-way crossroad or sleeping with his mother cannot be logically connected without the first event in his life: being bound by the ankles and tossed away. Just as the scar makes Oedipus the central point of his family's web of fate, it is also the central event that allows Oedipus to determine the validity of this web.
Your idea about a web of fate is great. My only question is whether Oedipus is the center and origin of the web or whether he was unfortunately tangled in it? What I like is that every action Oedipus takes is connected to the beginning of the web, and that his actions are falling into a pattern.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Harry's question of Oedipus' role in the prophecy. I would say the catalysts of the prophecy are his parents. If they hand't sent him away, there would be no confusion as to whether or not he was their son. It is, however, interesting to think that regardless of their choice to send him away, the prophecy would have to be realized.
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