Fate : Fate And Fate

It is also fate that Oedipus was cursed and has to avoid it. Because the prophecy applies to him, he tries to avoid the outcome by escaping it, but he can’t escape his fate. “Revealed at last, brother and father both to the children he embraces, to his mother son and husband both--he sowed the loins his father sowed, he spilled his father’s blood!” (281). The truth was revealed by Tiresias and in fact, it already had happened to Oedipus even though he tried so hard to avoid it. But after the truth was revealed, Oedipus cannot change what he had already done. Similarly,

In the Greek tragedy, Oedipus the King, the irony of fate brings the downfall of Oedipus. Fate, in this story affects three specific characters. The gods have already decreed Oedipus and Jocasta’s fate even before they know it. Their fate was in fact decreed the day they were born, and trying to avoid seems to have been pointless.

Foreshadowing is a significant device in the play where it helps the reader understand the theme of fate in the play. An example of foreshadowing is when Oedipus speaks to his children and says, “I weep for you, though sight is mine no more, Picturing in mind the sad and dreary life which waits you in the world in years to come”. This informs the reader that Antigone will have a similar fate to her father’s, however she deals with it differently. Antigone is fully aware of her fate and therefore she accepts it. She decides to obey the laws of the gods instead of Creon’s laws by giving her brother a proper burial. Even when she faces death, she still holds on to her beliefs knowing that her fate is inevitable and this is shown when she says, “my fate prompts no tears.”. Therefore both Oedipus and Antigone discovered their fates, but one of them decided to fight against it while the other decided to obey the gods by accepting it. Even when they had similar destinies, Oedipus was seen as a leader who brought shame to Thebes, while Antigone was recognized for her heroicness and courage because she respected the gods enough to follow her

Equally important to the role of fate in bringing about the downfall of Oedipus is the human flaw of arrogance that clouded Oedipus’ intellect to reason. One can ultimately see this human flaw in the beginning of the play as he says “Here I am myself – you all know me, the world knows my fame: I am Oedipus” (p 262, line 7-9). One day Oedipus heard someone say that he wasn’t his father’s son in which bothered him greatly and triggered his curiosity in whether Polybus and Merope were his biological parents. So, as a way to figure out his identity and true origins, he left to Delphi to see the Oracle. However, instead of answering Oedipus’ answer of who his true parents were, the Oracle told him of his fate that “You are fated to couple with your mother, you will bring a breed of children into the light no man can bear to see – you will kill your father the one who gave you life” (p. 297, lines 873-875). Hence, his arrogance is clearly showed as he disregards the prophecy, similar to the actions of Laius and Jocasta by escaping it, as he abandons Corinth and sets forth to a place where he “would never see the shame of all those oracles come true” (p. 297, lines 879-880). His flaw of

Oedipus-Rex was filled with many impulsive, difficult decisions; much like when Jocasta and her husband at the time decided to attempt to murder their son, Oedipus. The prophet, Tiresias, came to Jocasta and Laius and warned them of Laius’ fate. Tiresias told Laius, former King of Thebes, that his son would ultimately be the death of him and his power. He and his wife, Jocasta, devised a sinister plan to “eliminate” the chance of this prophecy coming true. Shackling the newborn’s ankles together and leaving him to die on top of a mountain called Cithaeron. But as everyone in Thebes believes “fate works in magical ways”. Oedipus, the newborn at the time, was led by something mysterious back to Thebes to solve a riddle, kill his father and become the new king by marrying Jocasta and solving the Sphinx’s riddle. This put Oedipus exactly where fate wanted him. Later causing him to dig deeper into his past when things just don’t seem to add up. “Parents? Wait! Who was I born from after all?” Oedipus asked of Tiresias which started everything. After catching wind of this new investigation into Oedipus’ past and the acquiring of all these new details Jocasta finally connected the dots. Oedipus was the son she thought

The destined future is responsible for the tragedy of Oedipus, because throughout the story, as things change, destiny does not, and in the end faith takes its course regardless. Fate is present at the beginning of the story, chronologically, when Oedipus is born to the King and Queen of Thebes. The oracle informs the monarchs that one day; Oedipus will execute his father and marry his mother. The king and queen decide to get rid of him, trying to elude the circumstances. Oedipus became the son of the King and Queen of Corinth, who couldn’t have kids.

Throughout the vast history of literature, various concepts have come and gone. The idea of fate or fatalism has been a concept that has survived the test of time. Numerous characters have succumbed to the power of fate and the character of Oedipus from Sophocles’ Oedipus the King is a prime example of the vast power of fate within literature. Sophocles effectively depicts the wrath of fate as he portrays how Oedipus fell victim to fate and his efforts to disregard fate were futile. Once again fate manages to triumph and displays no character whether king or slave can avoid its gaze.

The ancient Greeks possessed a specific view of fate: a reality that shaped and determined human life. Fate was an unstoppable force, operated by the will of the gods. The actions of characters throughout Greek tragedies ultimately brought about their inevitable fates. Oedipus the King and Antigone tell of the downfalls of two characters due to their fates, regarding Oedipus’ avoidance and Antigone’s acceptance of destiny.

     From the very beginning of Oedipus, it is made clear “that his destiny be one of fate and worse”. The irony is that Oedipus unknowingly repeatedly predicts his own fate: “It was I who called down these curses on that man.” Oedipus has unconsciously married his mother and killed his father, just as the Oracle predicted. Fate is proven to be

Fate and Destiny: Some Historical Distinctions between the Concepts Richard W. Bargdill Saint Francis University Abstract There has been a great deal of attention given to the “free will versus determinism” debate. However, little attention has been paid to the most common expressions from this controversy—people’s everyday experience of fate and destiny. In fact, fate and destiny are terms that are often used as synonyms as if there were no differences between the two words. This paper distinguishes the two concepts by reviewing some historical distinctions made by a variety of philosophers, psychologists and scientists. The paper also discusses some

Just as the bond between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth is strong, so does the bond between Oedipus and Jocasta in Oedipus the King. Oedipus has excessive pride in him and is known for his swift actions. It is Jocasta who tries to stop him from jumping into decisions without thinking about the outcome. For instance, when Oedipus accuses Creon and Tiresias for treachery, Jocasta tries to reason out with Oedipus. She tells him to not to believe in prophecies as they are not true. She narrates to Oedipus the tale of the prophecy of her son that he would one day kill his own father (Laius). She further tells him that the prophecy never came true because her son was killed when he was a child and that Laius was killed by a group of thieves. Similarly, when she comes to know part of the truth of Oedipus birth, she requests him to stop his search for the truth. She fears that his search for the truth about his birth and parents, would lead to his own destruction. This shows that

All throughout literature, readers are left dumbfounded at the outcome of certain characters. Often times, the general conclusion of unfortunate results is simple: fate. In Ancient Greece, it was a common belief that your whole life was thoroughly planned out by the many Gods and one’s specific plan was inevitable. In Oedipus the King, this theme of fate is prominent throughout the work and is essential to reader’s understanding of the character’s and their actions. Sophocles followed basic Greek philosophy of fate upon writing Oedipus.

Some people believe that each step steps on the way of life is predetermined through the beginning to the end, and people are powerless to resist it. The main character who is the narrator of the short novel, “A Woman Like Me” by Xi Xi, is trying to convey to us the same concept which is called the fate. She has been an orphan since she was very young, and she and her brother were raised by her Aunt Yifen. Her aunt has so much pressure that she pays less attention on their education, so when the narrator grows up, she lets her inherit their familial skill which is making up for dead. All of these elements lead her life into a miserable fate. From the psychological description of herself, I found that in the depth of her heart, she

Fate and destiny are powerful concepts especially when one is referring to his life. Whenever something fortunate happens we credit our hard work and perseverance while on the other hand one wrong decision and we end up against an obstacle or we get puzzled or end up in a situation we least expected it is our obligation to just move on and calm the heart saying it was destiny's call. Now we, the people of subcontinent have mastered this trick so well that it is applied in each and every situation no matter how much wrecked we are. So it was the most crucial part of life as the time had come to opt for a career and for that a suitable and more importantly a renowned university. So like all the conventional students an academy was chosen and along with

Out of all the peculiar happenings and seeming coincidences we are forced to deal with in our curious lives, the existence and potentially powerful effects of fate just may be the single most mysterious and unpredictable of all. In one person’s life, fate may be their right-hand man, a force that makes itself apparent not as a foe, but rather as a friendly figure. Even more so, a figure eager to guide you in the correct direction, allowing your life to flow as smoothly as butter on warm bread. On the other hand, from the mention of another man’s fate may arise thoughts of the countless number of failures he has endured and the not particularly good luck he has possessed. In short, life is like a stack of cards dealt out you at the beginning of a card game. Considering the stacks as fates, there are a countless number of possibilities. Nonetheless, there is one thing that is for certain: If you despise your own fate, your fate will learn to despise you. Take Shakespeare’s classic tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, a quintessential and at often times cliché tale of two lovestruck teenagers willing to obliterate anything in the path of their “true” love. Right from the first several lines of the play, we are enthralled by descriptions of a feud between two respected families of Verona. Although, the true conflict in the story does not set in until the star-crossed lovers set eyes on each other at Lord Capulet’s party. From this moment on, a cat-and-mouse game ensues with the sole