What is the conflict in Sophocles' Oedipus Rex?

Twopredominant conflicts inare Human against
Fate and Humanagainst Self. All through the play, , in a Human against Fateconflict, is
unwittingly chasing the very fate he is trying to escape.Indeed, Oedipus was meant to be left as
dead as an infant for thepurpose of outwitting and escaping fate. As Oedipus's actions in the
endof the play and his final exile show, he wholly and completely failedto escape his fate in
any way. Therefore,makes a strongstatement advocating the power of Fate over
humankind.

O cloud of night,
Never to be turned
away: night coming on,
I can not tell how: night like a shroud!

Oedipusstruggles in an inward direction throughout the play against
his, which is defined as excessive, detrimental arrogance and pride.This hubris is his tragic
flaw and the substance of his Human againstSelf conflict. It is Oedipus's hubris that leads him
to require thedisclosure of the fateful information held byand . Itis, likewise, his hubris that
leads him to swear to discover theidentity of the murderer of King Laius and punish him fully.
Theconflict of Oedipus against self here, of course, is that Oedipushimself is the murder and
the one whom he is sworn to discover andpunish.

Again,it is clear in the
ending of the play that Oedipus is wholly andcompletely incapable of coming out of this conflict
victoriously, eventhough he has opportunity to step away from the conflict--he failsto do this
because he fails to recognize there is a conflict, because hefails to recognize his hubris.
Therefore, Sophocles makes a strongstatement about our helplessness against our own inner flaws,
aboutwhich we are blind--unless someone, like a Creon, can convince us to seerightly.

Then once more I must bring what is dark to
light.
[...]
You shall see how I stand by you, as I should,
To avenge
the city and the city's god.