Destiny, Fate, Free Will and Free Choice in Oedipus the King - Driven by Fate

In my opinion, Oedipus does not deserve what he got and is a victim of fate. This is because all his actions were unintentional. However, some of his actions were ignorant. Right from the beginning we see how Oedipus was envisioned to kill his father and marry his mother, thus his feet being pinned together and him

Sophocles’ tragedy Oepdius Tyrannus details the downfall of a man fighting with all his might against destiny. Oedipus goes so far as to portray the relationship between predetermined fate and free choice is portrayed as being antagonistic in nature. Ultimately, the play concludes that free will, though it does exist, acts secondarily to fate. The submissive nature of free will is not clear to the Greeks of Sophocles’ tragedy, and so Oedipus and the other characters in the play constantly attempt to escape their fate.

Fate is defined as the development of events beyond a person’s control. In “Oedipus the King,” Sophocles, tells us about a tragic hero (Oedipus) in which his life is predetermined by fate, because he is deprived of free will. The first act of fate on Oedipus was him being saved by a shepherd when his parents (Queen Jocasta and King Laius) left him in the mountains to die, he then met and killed his father without knowing who he was, and last, he married Queen Jocasta, later realizing that she was his mother. Every action that Oedipus took to prevent his fate, would soon be the ultimate downfall, not only for himself, but for his family and the people of Thebes.

Oedipus is a man of unflagging determination and perseverance, but one who must learn through the working out of a terrible prophecy that there are forces beyond any man’s conceptualization or control. Oedipus’ actions were determined before his birth, yet Oedipus’ actions are entirely determined by the Gods who control him completely. In the beginning of this tragedy, Oedipus took many actions leading to his own downfall. He tried to escape Corinth when he learned of the prophecies that were supposed to take place in his life. Instead, he

Sophocles shows throughout the play, Oedipus the King, that fate triumphs over free will. This is presented by situational irony, the blind seer, and pathos. The following are examples that show this idea through the three literary terms mentioned. Situational irony plays a big role in how Sophocles displays fate in the play. An example of situational irony representing fate is when Oedipus promises to get rid of whoever murdered King Laius, but it was actually Oedipus himself who was the murderer.

In Oedipus the king the theme of fate is a crucial element that carries through the entire tragic play. It decides everything that leads up to the crucial events just like in real life, we each have a fate that we must meet.. No matter what, you can not escape your fate and pre determined destiny. His life was pre determined from birth and was given tragic life by the Gods. He was chosen for a specific reason to have this fate and learning how to cope and handle this throughout the play.

In Sophocles’ Oedipus the King, the theme of fate versus free will appears often throughout the play. It is prophesied to Oedipus’s parents, that their son would grow up to kill his father and marry his mother. “Their attempt to assert their free will is foiled when fate intervenes, in the form of the “good will” of a Shepherd who spares the infant’s life”(McHough4). The parents try to get rid of the son but fate doesn’t allow this to happen. Oedipus’ fate throughout the play has been decided by the prophecy, which contributes to his destruction. , Oedipus’s fate is not complete before the beginning of the play (134). Apollo is aware Oedipus is guilty of killing his father so when Apollo asks for Laius’s killer to be found, Oedipus will find

There are many people in the world that do not believe in destiny and the parts of your life dictated by fate. This portion of the population doubts that the events of your life were foretold to happen and instead trust that they make their decisions accordingly to their own free will. As Neo said in The Matrix, “I don't like the idea that I'm not in control of my life.” On the other hand, there are those who believe whatever happens in their lives is inevitable and they shall follow the roadmap of fate until fate decides to cut short your life. In Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet, fate and destiny is an extremely crucial and strong force, pulling the characters into its web like a spider preying on a fly. With the influence of fate involved

What is fate? Fate is something that is meant to happen and it is beyond a person’s control. In some cases it can be changed on the choices made. Fate has a story already written. It depends on when the story is discovered. This essay will revolve around precisely fate and how it could have been changed in these stories. It will explain how the characters in Oedipus Rex and The Kite Runner decided their fates.

Random acts of fate also play an important role in Oedipus‘ tragedy. Fate is also an important

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.

Fate is defined as “The development of events beyond a person's control, regarded as determined by a supernatural power.” In Shakespeare’s, Romeo and Juliet, the uncontrollable force brings the lovers together and changes the plot as the story continues. Each character has seemed to make decisions, but the main idea of the plot and events point to destiny. The lovers try to challenge their outcome, but still they succumb to the capability of this power. The audience know fate is to blame for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet because Shakespeare sets up the idea for the lovers at the start, Romeo realizes fates appearance and timing plays with the resolution.

In Oedipus Rex, the gods, fate Oedipus’ inexorable downfall. Despite Oedipus’ desperate attempt to escape his horrid destiny, he inevitably ends up completing his destiny that was foretold by the gods. The author presents Oedipus’ downfall as an inexorable one to elicit pity from the audience, making Oedipus a true tragic hero because it’s evident that his grim fate was rather inescapable. The author’s utilization of destiny generates a sense of a supernatural power at work that consequently induces a sense of inferiority of humankind. This sense of inferiority insinuates that in the grand scheme of things, humans are merely pawns controlled by the omnipotent powers that be. It does a sublime job of accentuating the critical flaws that all humans possess and enables the audience to perhaps learn from the tragic hero’s flaws. In turn, we can also learn from the concept of free-will in The Kite Runner which inversely emphasizes that one has complete control over their actions.

Fate and free will shows up in many stories, and plays a vital role in building up a character, or leading to their downfall. Fate and free will is a big theme in Oedipus Rex, and is the building bone to many of the characters lives. In Oedipus Rex, by Sophocles, Oedipus becomes king of Thebes. Before Oedipus came into power, the previous king of Thebes, Laius, was mysteriously murdered. A Sphinx came into power as the city had no king. However, Oedipus is able to save the city by answering the riddle told by the Sphinx, which no one else could figure out. The people of the city praise him for freeing them and Oedipus becomes king, and marries Jocasta. He is a strong and brave leader who is respected by the people of Thebes. However, after

play to effectively show the irony of fate and in itself fate Oedipus would have to have been portrayed as a