Fate And Free Will : Oedipus Rex

In Sophocles tragic Greek story of Oedipus the King, the author wanted to prove to the people of Greece that the Greek gods are all powerful and that one’s fate is established in advance and you cannot change what is already set in stone. Sophocles shows this by telling the readers that this story is about people who try to avoid their fate and shows that it doesn’t do any good because eventually when it comes down to it, what the oracles predict ended up being the truth. In this story there are a lot of situations where people try to avoid their fate. The play is about a man named Oedipus who is ill fated to what was predicted by the Oracle at Delphi before he was even born. Oedipus is informed of his fate and right away he tries to hinder it from happening, just like his father and mother tried to do.

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines fate as: “an inevitable and often adverse outcome, condition, or end”. Fate vs freewill is a common theme throughout the thematic play, Oedipus the King. Starting out, he protagonist, Oedipus, learns of his ill fate; he will marry his mother and kill his father. There is quite a bit of controversy over whether the downfall of his life was caused by his destiny, or by his actions. Ultimately, though, fate played a greater part in the great tragedy of Oedipus’ life. There were no choices he could have made that would change the outcome. He was doomed to live out this woeful tale.

Over the years, most people have wondered what Free will and Fate are all about. Questions like “can people escape their fate?” will always be around as long as we think of them as important points of our life to take care of. In Oedipus Tyrannus, a play written by Sophocles, the concepts of fate and free will are highly regarded in the play’s theme. Through the play, we are shown how a series of events take a man from living a normal life to the fulfilling of a cruel prediction which started long before he was born.

Is it possible to outplay the hand of fate? Fate is prominent in many Greek tragedies, often laying down the path for the protagonist, who fails to stray from fates clutches. The ancient Greeks largely believed that fate was determined at birth, and couldn’t be altered or prevented. Often times in Greek tragedies the hand of fate is responsible for the downfall of great heroes. These tragic heroes bring about their doom through their tragic flaws, with the notion that fate’s hands cannot touch them. In Sophocles' tragedy, “Oedipus Rex,” Oedipus was a tragic hero, whose own hubris and lack of sight brought about his inadvertent and impulsive wrong doings and ultimately his ironic downfall, becoming what he had tried his hardest not to be, proving

    During ancient times, the Greeks believed very strongly in a concept called "fate".  What is "fate"?  Fate can be defined as a cause beyond human control that determines events.  It can also be defined as the outcome or end of some sort.  In "Oedipus Rex", King Oedipus is a character that lived by fate and died by fate.  This element of fate truly impacted the storyline and the plot, while allowing for some interesting developments that may have been unforeseen by the viewing audience.

In Oedipus The King, Sophocles defines the relationship between fate and free will throughout the play. Fate defines events that are inevitable and unavoidable,while on the other hand free will is known as one’s ability to act upon his own dissection. Oedipus the son of king of Laius and Queen Jocasta is the main character who is mainly targeted by fate. Since birth Oedipus was cursed by the phrocephy to someday kill his father and marry his mother.

Oedipus, once he learned of his destiny, decided to move as far away as possible from his father. This is where fate shows it has control. By leaving his parents, Oedipus believed he could prevent his fate, however, his lack of knowledge on his adoptive parents was fate at work. Laius’s previous decisions led to Oedipus having adoptive parents, which in turn led to Oedipus leaving his home to prevent his destiny. By leaving, Oedipus walked straight into his fate. Oedipus then murdered his father in a street brawl, completing Laius’ prophecy, and the first part of his

Fate and free will in Oedipus Rex In Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex, the theme of fate and free-will is clearly brought out throughout in the play. Fate is a rudimentary part of human everyday life because almost all aspects of life are based upon it. From the beginning of the play, Oedipus’s greed for power and control is paranoid in his state of mind. When he is informed that the former ruler of Thebes King Laios was murdered, he is furious although his fear is that he might well be murdered. Therefore, he is determined to find the murderous in order to secure his throne and to rid of the turmoil affecting the land.

In Sophocles’ Greek tragedy, Oedipus Rex, the puzzle of fate versus free will is put to the test as fate and free battle against one another throughout the entire play, this ultimately determines that fate is stronger than free will. The constant question of which is in control is slowly answered throughout the play as the truth is uncovered. The puzzle of fate and free will is solved throughout the play as the characters make decisions based on the fates that have been predicted for them. Fate and free will tug at each other for precedence as the characters are affected by previous doings of their parents, as characters try to overcome and change their fates, as the characters make impulsive free will decisions that will cause their fates

Fate – some believe in it, others do not. Ever since the beginning of time, prophecies have been passed down from the gods to oracles – these messages were worshipped and fate was always seen as fact, something that cannot be avoided. In the play, “Oedipus the King”, fate is shown to be the underlying reason for why Oedipus becomes victim to events that he cannot control. When Oedipus is summoned to an oracle and told that he will eventually kill his own father and marry his mother, he is distraught and tries to go against his own fate. Oedipus, though, has already fallen victim to these harsh circumstances set forth by the Greek Gods, and this play is able to show that no matter what Oedipus chooses to do, he can never outrun his fate.

In ancient Greece, the Gods decided how an individual’s destiny would turn out and once it was decided, the fate was set in stone. One’s fate is inevitable and can not be changed no matter what. This is clearly shown in Sophocles’s two plays, Oedipus Rex and Oedipus at Colonus, where fate plays a major role. In his two plays, Oedipus’s fate was to kill his father and have children with his mother. This seemingly unfortunate and cruel fate, however, is not all bad. It has a good part to it. Oedipus’s exile and blindness help him by making him a better man, improving the relationship with his daughter Antigone, and showing the characters’ true colors.

Running away from your destiny will only lead to tragedy. What if you were destined to a life of sorrow? Would you run from it, or would you face your destiny? This story is based off a royal king destined for a life of tragedy. “Oedipus Rex”, by Sophocles, is a tragedy that discusses the downfall of a king. Oedipus was given a prophecy by a blind prophet that goes by the name Teiresias. The prophet informed Oedipus that he would kill his father and lie with his mother. Oedipus made the decision to run from his prophecy in anger and disbelief, which later only resulted in tragedy. Human will versus fate is the most important theme because Oedipus is given his prophecy but attempts to run from it, Oedipus attempts to blame Creon for Laius's murder, and Jocasta was told she would marry her son and her son would kill her husband.

As I was reading the play Oedipus the King by Sophocles, I realized that the author was talking about two main things. The first thing this play is talking about is fate and the second thing is blindness. As a Christian I was so happy when I first realized that this play was about fate, but reading this play through the end was kind of painful to me.

By definition fate is “the development of events beyond a person’s control, regarded as determined by a supernatural power.” The key concept being the fact that events are beyond a person’s control. And if they are beyond our control, then how can anyone be held accountable for any crime they’ve committed or bad decision they’ve made. But if we throw the idea of fate out the window, then we are left with only free will controlling our lives. So in the story of Oedipus the King whether or not Oedipus is at fault for killing his father and sleeping with his mother is completely dependent on what side wins out in the battle of fate versus free will.

The conflict of fate and free will has been going on for a long time, even going as far back as the time of the Greeks. Oedipus Tyrannus is a Greek Tragedy written by Sophocles. The play is about Oedipus’s life after he became King of Thebes and had to face his prophecy. Teiresias, a blind prophet, and Oedipus are prime examples of how fate and free will act out it’s conflict during the play.