Thesis Statement: In the story of Oedipus Rex, Sophocles concludes that fate is an all-powerful force which controls every action, and that every choice made by man’s free will, whether wise or foolish, all lead to the inevitable fate the gods have written for them.
I. The will of the gods and fate are two strong forces that no human being can run from, no matter what they do or where they hide, and this is proven true in Oedipus Rex where it is shown that the main cause of Oedipus’s fall is his belief that he could escape his fate and outsmart the gods
a. This is true in Oedipus’s case and he mentions to his wife how he left his hometown of Corinth because he was “running to a place where [he] would never see that shameful prophecy
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Oedipus’s attempt to escape the prophecy that was revealed to him when he was a young man that he would kill his father and marry his mother didn’t go away, in fact, each attempt he made to escape his prophecy only brought him closer to its completion. During the end of the play, Oedipus finally is convinced of the absoluteness of the gods when all parts of his prophecy turn out to be true and that any action he would have done otherwise would have concluded in the result. Through the example of Oedipus trying to outsmart fate, Sophocles teaches the audience of his play that trying run away from obstacles and problems always results in a more terrible outcome than the original …show more content…
The conflict between fate and free will is one of the major themes that are mentioned when discussing Oedipus Rex, but it can be argued that there is no such conflict and because free will is an illusion manipulated into thought by fate. Free will means to be able to choose a course of action from multiple choices and the only time this occurs is when Oedipus can use his intellect to judge the course of a decision. Had Oedipus known when to stop, his fate would have played out quietly, but his stubbornness to exploit the truth led to a more dramatic unfolding and the lives of people other than Oedipus including his children were ruined and in his wife’s case their life
Oedipus the King, a tale of one man’s hubris, paranoia, and willingness to sacrifice his own happiness for the happiness of others. Does one man’s fate designate who he will become? Is it possible to change the fate we are given? Or no matter how hard we try, deep down, it is our qualities that force us to make our fates a reality? In Sophocles’s play Oedipus the King we see a man who tried his hardest to change his own fate at all cost, but because of his human qualities he actually forced his fate upon himself.
In Sophocles ' Oedipus the King, the themes of fate and free will are very strong throughout the play. Only one, however, brought about Oedipus ' downfall and death. Both points could be argued to great effect. In ancient Greece, fate was considered to be a rudimentary part of daily life. Every aspect of life depended and was based upon fate (Nagle 100). It is common belief to assume that mankind does indeed have free will and each individual can decide the outcome of his or her life. Fate and free will both decide the fate of Oedipus the King.
Even though "fate" seems to determine Oedipus' life, he does, in fact, have a free will.
The purpose of this essay is to demonstrate that the events in Oedipus the King, written by Sophocles, are the result of the hero’s self determination and restless attempt to escape a terrifying destiny predicted for him by the oracle of Apollo at Delphi. My intention is to prove that although the Fates play a crucial part in the story, it is Oedipus'choices and wrong doing that ultimately lead to his downfall.
The Greek tragedy Oedipus the King, by Sophocles, was written to show the common people of Greece how powerful the gods are and that your fate is pre-determined and nothing you do can change that. He does this by showing how people in this story try to escape their fate and how it is no use because in the end, what the oracles predict comes true. In the story there are many occasions in which people try to escape their fate.
If prophecy were to be real, one could expect what is bound to happen in the future. This is true; at least in “Oedipus the King” in which the protagonist, Oedipus calls forth his doom unwillingly. Fate is defined as something that unavoidably befalls a person. The author of “Oedipus the King,” Sophocles, writes a tragic fate that Oedipus was born to experience. Fate is what is meant to happen and cannot be avoided or unchanged. Furthermore, events that lead to other events could be the result for one to meet their fate. In “Oedipus the King,” Sophocles expresses the nature of fate to be determined upon choices made.
From the very beginning, Oedipus was destined to fulfill Apollo's prophecy of killing his father. Even though King Lauis tries to kill Oedipus to stop the fulfillment of this shameful prophecy, fate drives the Corinthian messenger to save Oedipus. What the gods fortell will come true and no human can stop it from happening, not even the kings. Oedipus is once again controlled by this power when he leaves the place of his child hood after he hears that he is to kill his father and marry his mother. "I shall shrink from nothing...to find the the murderer of Laius...You are the murderer..." Oedipus tried to stop the prophecy from coming true by leaving Corinth and only fate can make Oedipus turn to the road where he kills his true father. Leaving Corinth makes Oedipus lose his childhood by making him worry of such issues young people should not have to worry about and becoming a king of a strange land. Last of all, Oedipus carries the last part of the prophecy out, marrying his mother. " I would... never have been known as my mother's husband. Oedipus has no control over the outcome of his life. Fate causes Oedipus to have known the answer to the Sphinx's riddle and win his marriage to his mother, Jocasta. Had fate not intervened, the chances of marrying Jocasta would have been small since there is an enourmous number of people and places to go. Oedipus loses his sense of dignity after he discovers he is not only a murderer, but also that he had committed incest.
“Every man has his own destiny: the only imperative is to follow it, to accept it, no matter where it leads him.” In other words, the connotation of this anonymous quote states that despite whatever one chooses to decide, the outcome of their choices and decisions will still result to their predetermined fate. Sophocles’ tragedy, Oedipus the King, demonstrates this statement throughout the play in the role of his tragic hero Oedipus. In the course of Oedipus’ actions of trying to escape his predestined fortune, his fate and flaws of being human played major roles to bring about his downfall.
For instance, Oedipus attempting to outrun fate. He ran away from home and his adoptive parents, so that the prophecy would not come true, but this was counteractive. If only he had just accepted his fate, or not heard of it at all, the deaths of his parents could have been avoided. Since he attempted to elude his fate, it is safe to assume that the Gods were not very with his actions. This can be proved since the Gods are the ones who put a plague on Thebes, since the city was harboring a thief; which was
A vital subject in the play Oedipus the King is the relation between the characters action and fate. Oedipus had the choice to either let destiny play its course, but as seen in the play Oedipus’s chooses his own downfall, he choose free will. His persistence to uncover the truth about his past and his identity are substantial. Fate on the other hand is accountable for many other important and disturbing events in the play one being responsible for Oedipus marring his own mother. Sophocles clearly suggests that both fate and one’s action works hand on hand, it is clear and becomes difficult to judge Oedipus for incest given his unawareness.
In today's society we let our lives be led by a certain force that we believe in very strongly. Yet, a common debate that still rages today is whether we, as a species, have free will or if some divine source, some call it fate, controls our destiny. In the play, Oedipus the King, that special force is also used and is known and defined as fate. This played an important role in the lives of the characters just as it plays one in our daily lives.
In Oedipus The King, Sophocles presents a view of life fixed by fate. This fate, predetermined by the gods, is the sole factor in deciding human destiny. Tiresias expresses his understanding of the unchangeable fate of Oedipus, laid out by the gods, as he argues with the King about revealing the truth of all the Theban troubles. When Oedipus, frustrated by the lack of cooperation, insults Tiresias, he responds "I pity you, flinging at me the very insults / each man here will fling at you so soon."(322) Even more telling of the fated existence of Sophocles' characters is Jocasta's revelation of prophecies given before Oedipus' birth which foretold all that the gods had in store, which had indeed come to pass (332).
In the play, Oedipus Tyrannus, Sophocles, illustrates how fate and free will could determine one 's destiny. Sophocles is a well-known tragedian who wrote more than one-hundred Greek dramas for Greek festivals. While his plays entertained countless people in Greek carnivals in his plays also made his intended audience to become acquainted with Athens’ government, social forms as well as its’ religion. In this play the main character, Oedipus, is represented as a man of sudden action, honest, and great insight. Oedipus unintentionally had fulfilled his own fate, stating that he will kill his father and marry his mother. While both fate and free will had resulted in Oedipus’ fate, the choices Oedipus made in his own
The underlying theme in Oedipus Rex is that fate is more powerful than free will. On this strong basis of fate, free will doesn't even exist. This was a popular belief among the ancient Greeks. Fate may be accepted or denied by modern society, but in Oedipus's story, fate proves inevitable. In the play, Oedipus Rex, the characters Oedipus, Iocaste and Laios try to change fate.
When Oedipus realizes what his future holds he decides to avoid it at all costs. As a result, he picked up and ran away. He decided not to tell his parents he was leaving so that he could avoid hurting their feelings. When he was on his journey to Thebes there were people coming towards him and they got in an upset about who had the right of way where three roads crossed. He ended up killing all but one of the men there. This is where Sophocles proves that you can never run from your fate. Even Jocasta accounts for this happening, “That it was fate that he should die a victim at the hands of his own son, a son to be born to Laius and me. But now, he the king was killed by a foreign highway robber at the place were three roads meet-so goes the story” (1.1.791-796). The man he killed in that street was actually his dad.