Oedipus The King Research Paper

Gurleen Grewal
591989
St.Clair
What is within one’s control
Individual might feel that fate and free will have a big impact in people lives.Sometimes one can not have control over their own lives, his ability to act at one’s own preference. Oedipus is responsible for his own downfall. Oedipus has shown throughout the play his stubborn nature pushes him to make wrong decisions, and the decisions lead him towards his downfall. First of all, the reason why Oedipus is responsible for his own downfall is because he thought if he does not go back to his kingdom, he would not kill his father and sleep with his mother. The oracle told him that he would kill his father and marry his mother, this lead to his decision to To stay away from his kingdom.

Since he was in his way he decided to kill him and then he continued with his journey from staying away from his foster parent. He realizes afterwards that he killed his father, in the text it says, “I command him to tell everything to me,-- yes, though he fears himself to take the blame on his own head; for bitter punishment he shall have none, but leave this land unharmed. Or if he knows the murderer, another, a foreigner, still let him speak the truth. For I will pay him and be grateful, too” (,245-250,4). He wanted to tell the truth to the kingdom that he killed the king, his real father but he did not wanted to lose his spot of being the king. The only reason why he killed his real father because he was in his way. Therefore, Oedipus made a bad choice to kill his father. Secondly, even though Oedipus did not know that was his father he was able to solve Sphinx’s riddle, which leads him to be proud of himself. In the text

Since, Oedipus had solved the riddle the queen, his mother, had said she needed to marry quickly because a man had to rule the kingdom. When she found out that someone had killed the king she would have to marry someone as soon as possible. Therefore, the Queen had look for a king because the king has been murder, then she saw Oedipus that solve the riddle that no one else had solved it she feel in love with Oedipus. Lastly, since he married the queen, which means decisions that he made lead him to downfall. In the text it says “To Delphi, and Apollo sent me back baulked of the knowledge that I came to seek. But other grievous things he prophesied, woes, lamentations, mourning, portents dire; to wit I should defile my mother's bed and raise up seed too loathsome to behold, and slay the father from whose loins I sprang” (791-797).Oedipus knowledge leads him to realize of his fate. Even Though the oracle told him that he was going to marry his mother and killed his father, which that cause of his own downfall. He thought his other parents were his real parents but they were not and he did not know about it