The Sin of Oedipus Was Justified or Not???

This question is fairly subjective and could be answered in several different ways. It's true
that Oedipus was ignorant of his actions before the play began and did not realize that the man
he killed was his father or that the woman he married was his mother; therefore, one might
feel that he is punished far too harshly. If you finished the play with the feeling that Oedipus's
fate was unfair, then you likely do agree with the interpretation quoted above and should
answer the question with textual evidence supporting this conclusion.

On the other hand, one could argue that Oedipus is punished not for his unwitting fulfillment of
the prophecy of his birth (killing his father and marrying his mother), but rather for his fatal flaw
of hubris, which guides his actions over the course of the play itself. Oedipus refuses to listen to
the seer Tiresias or examine/change his behavior, because he is desperate to cling to his power.
Because of this fatal flaw, one might disagree with the interpretation of Oedipus as
"blameless." It is not the fact that Oedipus, in his ignorance, behaved badly that leads to his
downfall; rather, he is punished because, when confronted with the truth of his actions, he
refuses to listen or take responsibility. This is a subtle distinction but an important one.

I think there's a strong case to be made that Oedipus is not without blame. When he visits the
oracle at Delphi, the mouthpiece of the god Apollo, and hears the prophecy that he will kill his
father and marry his mother, he decides that he would not go home to Corinth. Oedipus thinks
that he can avoid the prophecy, proudly believing that his will can overcome that of fate or that
of a god. In thinking that he can outwit Apollo, he moves to Thebes, surmising that he can never
fulfill the prophecy if he is not near the individuals he believes to be his parents, and yet this is
precisely the action that leads him to kill his father (on the road to Thebes) and marry his
mother (once he gets there and is named king). He does not understand that the gods know
more than he does, or that he—a mere mortal—is fallible. Had he not been ruled by pride, who
knows what might have happened? As it is, Oedipus's pride compels him to think himself more
powerful than fate, and he pays a heavy price.