Oedipus’s Punishment Oedipus ends up deserving being banished from Thebes and living his life as a blind man even though his tragic fate that was set out for him wasn’t his fault. The Oracle of Delphi warned Oedipus that his fate would be to kill his father and marry his mother. If he had never tried to avoid his fate then he would have succeeded in making sure his fate never came true. Instead by leaving Corinth he ends up killing his father Laius in self-defense on the road to Thebes not knowing who he was. Then he solves the riddle of the sphinx saving Thebes from its curse and becomes the ruler of Thebes. While also marring Jocasta his mother not knowing she is his mother and fulfills his destiny. Thebes comes under a plague because of the wretched actions of Oedipus and the oracle tells him whomever killed King Laius must leave for it to end. Oedipus makes a promise to the people of Thebes to find out who killed King Laius and banish him from Thebes. He essentially banishes himself from Thebes not knowing it was King Laius who he killed. Jocasta his wife realizes whom Oedipus really is as well as what happened to Laius and kills herself. In this quote Oedipus comes to the realization of what he has done and is arguing for his innocence. “The man I murdered, he’d have murdered me! I am innocent! Pure in the eyes of the law, blind, unknowing, I, I came to this (Sophocles 614-16)!” He is trying to cope with what he has done and make excuses for himself. Oedipus eventually is broken by the realization and suicide if his wife that he gouges his eyes out for what he has done. Now