A reoccurring theme in Greek tragedies is not being able to control your own fate. As an audience we know that Oedipus kills his father and married his mother like in the prophecy that was foretold by the oracle. His parents attempt to avoid this tragic prophecy by having their sons ankles "pinned together" (1133) and left in the woods to die. Unbeknownst to Jocasta, Oedipus her husband is actually her son and the murderer of Laius, her original husband. This is exactly what the prophecy states and what Laius and Jocasta try to avoid by leaving Oedipus in the "woody flanks of Mount Cithaeron" (1124) to die. When Oedipus grows older he is also told of the prophecy, but he does not know that Polybus and Merope are not his actual parents. Therefore, he runs away from Corinth in fear of the prophecy coming true. That is when he runs into Laius and kills him fulfilling a part of the prophecy without realizing it. He then solves the riddle and marries his mother, Jocasta, fulfilling the final part of the prophecy.
Laius, Jocasta, and Oedipus did everything in their power to stop the prophecy from becoming true. Even throwing their own son into the woods to die was not monumental enough to control Oedipus fate. Ones fate cannot be altered in a Greek Tragedy. The shepard says to Oedipus, "man of misery" (1318), "you were born for pain" (1304). Fate is unchangeable and we see this through the events in Oedipus' life.
Fate plays a gargantuan role in Greek stories. I like how you stated that Laius, Jocasta, and Oedipus did everything they could to prevent the prophecy from happening. Despite their efforts, the prophecy was still unknowingly fulfilled. Not being able to control their destiny exposes the power of the gods in the stories to show their ability to make anything they want happen.
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