Words like destiny, fate, and predestination have a much meaning to people today, as countless people believe in it. On the other hand, the belief that a person controls his life has been established as an opposing belief. The book Oedipus the King, a Greek tragedy, written by Sophocles, examines this debate between fate and choice. Although some people argue that the tragedies that took place in Oedipus' life were destined to happen, the grim circumstances that surrounded Oedipus' life were the result of his own free will and the decisions he made about many of these circumstances.
Oedipus had many options after he learned of the Prophecy, and the choice he made to leave Corinth was one of his own free will, showing that destiny was not the
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Before this instance, Oedipus had just left the Oracle after she told him about the prophecy that stated he will kill his father. Now on the road, at a place where three roads met, Oedipus got into an altercation with a man and his herald. The herald tried to drive Oedipus of the road, and in retaliation, Oedipus killed the herald, the man being driven, and some of his servants (Oedipus the King, 803-813). This happened a small amount of time after Oedipus had just learned of this prophecy that he would kill his father, and also heard a rumor that his father was not Polybus. Instead of refraining himself from hurting others because he might not know who they are, Oedipus made the decision to give himself into rage and kill a number of people. This showed that this was not an act of fate or mindlessly following a prophecy because he had no other decision. Oedipus chose to kill people not because it was his only option, but because he decided …show more content…
By this point in the story Oedipus had already been king of Thebes, for many years, and has earned the love and respect of the Theban people. After the plaque has been ravishing the city for a number of years, Oedipus had Teiresias come to him and tell him who was responsible for the problems in the city. After much prompting, begging and arguing, Teiresias told him he was the person that is causing the problems. Instead of thinking back on his past experiences and realizing that he did kill an older man, who was on the way to the Oracle, which he was coming from, around the same time as the king’s death. Instead Oedipus becomes enraged because he could not do something like that (?). Oedipus made the decision to not listen to the words of someone who was well respected for his prophetic wisdom, and to instead only depend on what he knew. Another example of this is when Oedipus accused Creon of being a traitor and conspiring against him. Oedipus had no evidence of this, and Creon, probably being one of his closest friends, gave him evidence after evidence on why he was not a traitor, but Oedipus ignored all this. Oedipus again depended on what he knew, not what others said. This is all showing that he had control over his life and gave into unwise actions. He decided to do
The selfishness that Oedipus possesses causes him to have abundance of ignorance. This combination is what leads to his father’s death. After fleeing Corinth and his foster family, Oedipus gets into a skirmish with an older man. The reason for the fight was because, “The groom leading the horses forced me off the road at his lord’s command” (1336). Oedipus is filled with a rage after being insulted by the lord and feels the need to act. The two men fight, but Oedipus ends up being too much for the older man, and he kills him. What Oedipus is unaware of is that the man was actually his birth father and by killing him, Oedipus has started on the path of his own destruction. Not only does Oedipus kill his father, but also everyone else, “I killed them all” (1336). The other men had no part in the scuffle, but in his rage, he did not care who he was killing.
Another example of Oedipus’ presumptuous temperament is when he immediately assumes that Creon is trying to take his power from him. Creon sends Tiresias to Oedipus to help him solve the crime of the plague, and when Tiresias reveals that Oedipus must die in order to save the people of Thebes, Oedipus assumes Creon is trying to take his throne. Creon even tells Oedipus, “…if you think crude, mindless stubbornness such a gift, you’ve lost your sense of balance” (Meyer 1438). Oedipus’ impulsive nature leads him to discovering the truth and reveals that he has indeed fulfilled the prophecy he was running from.
Many times in life, people think they can determine their own destiny, but, as the Greeks believe, people cannot change fate the gods set. Though people cannot change their fate, they can take responsibility for what fate has brought them. In the story Oedipus, by Sophocles, a young king named Oedipus discovers his dreadful fate. With this fate, he must take responsibility and accept the harsh realities of what’s to come. Oedipus is a very hubris character with good intentions, but because he is too confident, he suffers. In the story, the city of Thebes is in great turmoil due to the death of the previous king, Laius. With the thought of helping his people, Oedipus opens an investigation of King Laius’s murder, and to solve the mystery, he seeks advice from Tiresias, a blind prophet. When Laius comes, Oedipus insists on having the oracle told to all of Thebes showing no sign of hesitation or caution. This oracle states that he will kill his father and marry his mother. Oedipus must learn to deal with his terrible and appalling fate the way a true and honorable king would. Because...
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.
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.
In the story, “Oedipus the King” before Oedipus became king of Thebes, he made choices that led to events that defined his fate. The first event emerged when Oedipus heard a drunken man saying that the ones who cared for Oedipus at Corinth were not his biological parents. The terrible news is what set forth the very first steps towards the beginning of the events that led to his fate. Oedipus confused and interested in the truth, went on to speak with God. However, the God did not answer what Oedipus questioned and instead had his fate foretold. “The god dismissed my question without reply; he spoke of other things. Some were clear, full of wretchedness, dreadful, unbearable: As, that I should lie with my own mother, breed children from all men would turn their eyes; and that I should be my father’s murderer,” (Gioia, 2010). Oedipus still unfamiliar, of who his parents were, chose to flee from home in attempt to prevent the God’s statement of his fate from coming true. Oedipus’ choice of fleeing the country was perhaps a bad decision. It was what led him to experience the first event of his fate. As Oedipus goes his...
In Oedipus the King, one of Sophocles most popular plays, Sophocles depicts that fate will control the journey of a man’s life through free will. In today’s society, people let their life’s to be controlled by certain believes they strongly abide. Throughout Oedipus the King, the concepts of fate versus free will plays a crucial role in Oedipus’s life. Oedipus personality causes him misfortunes through his downfall by continuously denying accepting his own fate, as his temper took a major tool on him, and the rational choices he made.
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. The same debate applies to Oedipus the King and Oedipus at Colonus. Does Oedipus control his actions, or are they predetermined by the gods? It’s that question that makes Oedipus a classic, and many different people think many different things.
“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.
One of the main themes in Oedipus the King written by Sophocles is the debate between free will and fate. There are many free choices that were made in the play, such as the decision for Oedipus to pursue the knowledge of his own identity. However, fate is responsible for many of the other critical events that took place in the play, such as Oedipus’s incest. Fate is made to seem very important in this play because it is written to seem that the characters cannot be held fully responsible for their actions due to fate.
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).
Even though Oedipus the King makes his own choices, some of those choices lead up to the most tragic events in his life. After Oedipus learns what his fate is, he runs and tries to change it, but by doing this, he only brings himself closer to the truth. Some may say that Oedipus got everything that he deserved, and fate had nothing to with his outcome. Others may say that Oedipus created his own outcome by being an arrogant person and controlled his life and that fate had nothing to do with it.
Here, Oedipus was at the top of the social spectrum and likely had a pleasant childhood living in the palace. With the expectation of one day being King, Oedipus grew up with a sense of power and importance. In addition, growing up as the son of a King, Oedipus likely did not face much adversity growing up. Considering all of these components, it is no surprise that when Oedipus is initially faced with any adversity, he handles it very poorly. The first example of adversity that Oedipus faces is through an Oracle of Apollo. This oracle showed Oedipus a prophecy portraying him killing his father and marrying his mother. Instead of facing his problem and attempting to solve it, Oedipus runs “I heard all that and ran. I abandoned Corinth, from that day on I gauged its landfall only by the stars, running, always running toward some place where I would never see the shame of all those oracles come true” (Sophocles 880). If Oedipus had a different upbringing, there is a chance that Oedipus would have the experience to deal with a problem like this. Unfortunately, Oedipus’ poor character shows and he flees. With the Use of Irony, Sophocles shows that as Oedipus attempts to run away from the prophecy, the prophecy iscompleted. On his way out of Corinth, an enraged Oedipus meets a group of travelers that attempt to push Oedipus off the road. Unable to control his rage, Oedipus reacts hastily “I strike
A common struggle man faces is the question of who or what has power and control over his life. Does he have total control of his future, or is there a higher being at work that takes human lives into their own hands? Sophocles, in his work Oedipus Rex, establishes a view that gives fate, which is created by the gods, a seemingly inescapable characteristic over man. The role of fate is clearly defined, through the fulfillment of divine prophecy, and Oedipus’ inability to recognize prophecy as a realistic source of knowledge, as a fate that strikes a delicate balance with the free will of man.
But now, the king was killed by a foreign highway robber at the place where three roads meet-so goes the story” (1.1.791-796). The man he killed on that street was actually his dad. What Oedipus did not know, was that the people he thought his parents and ran away from, were just his adoptive parents. So if he had not been so set on changing his fate, then that awful fate the oracle predicted, might not have come true as he imagined.... ...