Does Oedipus Deserve His Fate

Oedipus shows his benevolent characteristics through his actions and words to the people of Thebes. He has told all of them that they, the people of Thebes, “can trust [him]. I am ready to help, I’ll do anything. I would be blind to

Fate is the development of events beyond a person's control, regarded as determined by a supernatural power. It is a very common theme used in literature. We’ve seen examples from stories such as: Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet and Iliad. We’ve been reading Oedipus the King written by Sophocles. My main thesis that I would be talking about is if: Oedipus was actually a victim of fate, or did he deserve what he got.

Oedipus also displays this uncompromising attitude in his devotion to Thebes. Oedipus' loyalty to Thebes is another factor that led to the tragic figure's ruin. Aristotle explains that a tragic character is just and good, but fatal error, pride(possibly hubris), or frailty brings about his misfortune. Oedipus fits this description perfectly. Oedipus could easily have left the city of Thebes and let the plague take its course he “would be blind to misery/ not to pity [his] people kneeling at his feet”. When Apollo's word comes back in the hand of Creon, Oedipus could leave the murder of Laius uninvestigated as it had been for so long, but “rising in his pride, he protests: he pits himself in some way against whatever…seems to him to be wrong…”(Levin 178). Oedipus can not let this investigation be overlooked; he must solve the riddle of who killed King Laius because his pride overpowers him. Oedipus' pride also reveals itself again in his loyalty to the truth.

He constantly tries to outwit the gods and their celestial will. At the beginning of the play, Oedipus does everything he can to help Thebes and its people. He sends Creon to the oracle to get advice from Apollo. Creon then brings back news that Apollo says to get rid of the chaos and products left behind from king Laius’ death, and because Oedipus honors the gods, he vows to find Laius's murderer and punish him for his doings (Fitts and Fitzgerald 6). The reason Oedipus leaves his home and comes to Thebes is to escape the prophecy made by the oracle that he would kill his father and marry his mother. He trusts and honors the gods until he is accused of being the man who does this terrible things. He becomes so focused with trying to find the man who killed the king that he stops listening and respecting the gods and all of the people trying to make him understand the truth. His relationship with the gods overall falters because like many others, he respects the gods, but eventually, he begins to try to figure this mystery out by himself instead of understanding his fate given to him by the gods (Fitts and Fitzgerald 34). All of these characteristics provide examples of how his fate is

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,

Oedipus first demonstrated his ability to be a good leader in his helping the city escape the Sphinx.  He continued his leadership in the same manner, doing good things for the city and winning esteem in the eyes of the citizens.  The premise for the book is that he was trying to rid the city of a second plague.  He showed no hesitation to give it his best effort, saying "Indeed I'm willing to give all that you may need; I would be very hard should I not pity suppliants like these" (Sophocles page #). Displaying this willingness to help his citizens and earning such lofty acclaim as being called "great" or "greatest," Oedipus could not have been a poor ruler or a tyrant.  If Oedipus had ruled his subjects poorly then they would not have addressed him as "great," so he should be viewed as a good leader, one who cared for his charges, one who ruled justly.  In this light, Aristotle would have judged Oedipus to be a good man, or more precisely, a good ruler because Oedipus' labor was "for the benefit of others," one of Aristotle's characteristics of a good ruler.

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.

At the beginning Oedipus is characterized as a great leader. For example, he solves the riddle of the Sphinx, which is the winged female monster that terrorized the city (Sophocles 487). Here we can see how Oedipus is clever and smart. In result the people of Thebes respect him for his cleverness and reward him as King. People even look at him as being almighty when it comes to handling problems such as, when there is a plague that is killing people, animals and made women give birth to nothing. They knew he would help as long as he was aware of the situation. “We’ve come because you are the best man at handling trouble or confronting the gods” (Sophocles 487). This statement shows how people depend on him and look at him as a great leader. It also shows how he is a man of action and looks after his people as a king should. With that being said, he is told to find the killer of Laios and either banish them or kill them to stop the plague. Likewise, he did what he is commanded to do, he obeys the god and search for the killer that killed the previous king. Furthermore, he follows instruction and is concerned for himself and the people of Thebes. “My heart grieves for you, for myself, and for our city” (Sophocles 487).

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

Oedipus is referred to as “Everyman” because he represents both the wise and the foolish people. He also represents pathos and hubris. For example, he and Tiresias accuse each other of blindness and arrogance; blindness of the truth and excessive pride. People of Thebes look up to Oedipus as somewhat of a God and savior, however hey do not directly compare him to a God. Therefore they expect him to heal the city’s wound.

“Oh my children, the new blood of ancient Thebes, why are you here?” said Oedipus when addressing his people during his first appearance (1-2). Flamboyant, yes, well in Oedipus the King, the main character Oedipus is a boastful and pompous character faced with troublesome pasts and future predicaments. In actuality, he is king of Thebes and the rightful ruler, but when a plague strikes he is quickly led into a misfortune of events that ultimately leads him to dig his eyes out in attempt to relieve him from the truth he discovers. It then becomes a revelation to distinguish the characteristic fault which leads Oedipus through such tragedy. Only to become apparent, Oedipus’s excessive pride is the main culprit behind his tragic ending. In

In the play Oedipus has qualities such as caring and being loyal to the people of his city. The play begins with a plague in which the people of Thebes are encountering. Oedipus who is the king is well aware and worried of this terrible event is trying to do whatever it takes to find a solution. The people in Thebes believe in their king since they’ve already witnessed how he rescued their city in an occasion. “Oedipus, we need now the great power men everywhere know you posses. Find some way to protect us learn it from a god’s whisper or a man’s” (pg. 487). Oedipus knows his people are counting on him and as a result his attitude is one of a leader, arrogant, authoritative, confident, intelligent, determined, and compassionate. Once Oedipus uncovers the solution to end the plague is to find the murdered of former king Laios he is determined to do this and no one will stop him. Tiresias the prophet offers an answer to Oedipus’ quest, but his response to the prophet’s prophecy is a disbelieving and offensive one. “Wealth and a king’s power, the skill that wins every time how much envy, what malice they provoke. To rob me of power, power I didn’t

Evidently, Oedipus is confident and truly feels expected to do this for his people, when in reality, he has the choice to not do anything at all. It was his decision to support his people despite people like Teiresais advising against it. Oedipus’s determination to solve the problem of his kingdom ended up with him realizing that he was the problem. As king, he stayed true to his word and banished himself from the land for the betterment of his people.

It seems that almost all of his words and actions stem from this which makes it difficult for him to realize that he is the root of the “pollution” in Thebes. When He first hears this his pride compels him to deny his fate. “... instead I came along, the idiot Oedipus! I stopped her” (Sophocles lines 415-417). Oedipus is trying to make a point saying that how can he be the problem when he saved the city. But what Oedipus can’t realize is that it was just part of his fate. Oedipus’ attempt to justify his pride is what makes him realize that he is cursed and marks the beginning of his collapse. The effects of pride such as ignorance drives him to discover the truth despite what others like Jocasta think knowing Oedipus’ true fate. “Alas, alas-unhappy man! This alone can I say to you, and nothing else ever after”(Sophocles lines 1098-1099). This line from Jocasta tells us that Oedipus is causing his own destruction through his pride. He is desperate to seek out the truth at this point but his ignorance from pride leads him to discover his unfortunate fate. That if he doesn’t listen to her he truly is about to destroy himself. She is right because after Oedipus learns his fate, he blinds himself and demands to be exiled from Thebes. Blinding himself did this making Oedipus now live by nothing but pure knowledge. So in general, it is clear judging from these facts that pride is what led to Oedipus

At the beginning Oedipus is characterized as a great leader. There are several facts stated in the play as to why he is a great leader. For example, he solves the Sphinx, which is the winged female monster that terrorized the city (Sophocles 487). Here we can see how Oedipus is clever and smart. In result the people of Thebes respect him for his cleverness and rewards him as King. People even look at him as being almighty when it comes to handling destructions. Such as, when there is a plague that is killing people, animals and made women give birth to nothing. They knew he would help as long as he was aware of the situation. “We’ve come because you are the best man at handling trouble or confronting the gods” (Sophocles 487). This statement shows how Oedipus is well dependent on by others in the play and how they look at him as a leader. It also shows how he is a man of action and looks after his people as a king should. With that being said, he is told to find the killer of Laios “his father” and either banish them or kill them to stop the plague. Likewise, he did what he is commanded to do, he