Fate and free will are two topics that are often questionable because they go hand in hand. Fate is a belief that a certain event is said to happen, then that person's choice and free will lead them to what has been predicted as inevitable. Knowing whether something is fate’s fault or the fault of the person who’s going to enact the said action, is one question that has never been fully answered. In Sophocles' Oedipus Rex and Shakespeare's Macbeth, fate is determined by their own choices and free will, the character Macbeth knows of what lies ahead of him, making him alter the present to create his idealistic future, however instead he lives a life of ruins. As for Oedipus his entire actions are based on one prophecy he desperately …show more content…
His lack of knowledge led him to his demise, because he possesses self-awareness, leads him to the action of free will which could have protected him from a defined fate.
In “Oedipus,” Sophocles writes about a man who is hunted down by his cruel fate, and whose life is ruined in attempt to run away from it. The ancient Greek perspective reflects on the matter of the story and how the god’s highly influence the lives of humans. This viewpoint basically shows the unbounded power the Greek gods have; by being the gods of destiny, and leaving man at a helpless position. Fate plays a massive role in the lives of humans and as was believed by the ancient Greeks, their lives were simply directed by a decision of gods and goddesses. Oedipus knew his fate set by a curse cast on him; however, even when being aware it is impossible to escape fate, he still attempted to run away from it. As the play progresses Oedipus begins to understand the unbearable truth as he states “I’ve called down a dreadful curse upon myself,” followed by a response “I simply didn’t know!” (1103). It is the will of the man to realize what is inevitable and what choice is. In the Ancient Greece, Gods were praised and worshiped and any command stated by them is the undecided future. Oedipus acting as a blinded man who did not know of such fact led him to his fate and ironically is what later led him to blind himself (Gould). When Oedipus stabs his eyes out with the
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.
Fate vs Free Will as it relates to the character Oedipus OR Adam and Eve. Consider: behavior, outcomes, how the choices were made, or were the choices made for them?
In Oedipus the King, one of Sophocles’ most popular plays, Sophocles clearly depicts the Greek’s popular belief that fate will control a man’s life despite of man’s free will. Man was free to choose and was ultimately held responsible for his own actions. Throughout Oedipus the King, the concept of fate and free will plays an integral part in Oedipus' destruction.
The Odyssey is a good example of how fate and free will are interwoven.. In the Odyssey the gods are responsible for controlling many aspects of where the story goes, but the people still have to choose to go. The gods in the Odyssey are who held Odysseus captive for over eight years. They were responsible for his capture in the first place but then refused to let him go for 8 years. They were responsible for his capture and then refused to let him go for almost a decade. When they finally decided to let him go, they told kalypso, his captor. However Odysseus still had to chose to leave. Kalypso tried to keep him with her by offering immortality. “You would stay here, and guard this house, and be immortal” (Homer 267). Odysseus could have stayed but he chose to go. Some say that the gods knew Odysseus would not stay, and that is why they chose to let him go. However Knowledge of a fat does not take away from the fact Odysseus hose himself. That difference between having fate and accepting fate is free will.Once
In Oedipus the King, the theme of fate vs free will appears all through the play. Oedipus throughout the play tries to avoid his inevitable fate, which ironically seems to make his fate come
As Freud further hypothesized, Sophocles helped bring the idea of fate or destiny into people’s minds. Fate was apparent because although the actions and feelings of the characters were an essential part of the story, ultimately nothing could change one's fate. Basically, Oedipus lacked the freewill to make his own choices and therefore ended up fulfilling the prophecy, despite him doing everything he in his power to avoid it.
Oedipus doesn’t realize the personal consequences his hunt for the murderer will have for him, and his loyalty to the truth is based on his ignorance. His pride, ignorance and unrelenting quest for the truth ultimately contributed to his destruction. An example is when Oedipus was told [after threatening Tiresias], that he was responsible for the murder of Laius. He became enraged and called the old oracle a liar. However, Oedipus thought he could outsmart the gods, but in fact, his every action moved him closer to the prophesy becoming a reality. Upon discovery of the truth of his birth from the herdsman, Oedipus cries, “O god all come true, all burst to light!/O light now let me look my last on you!/I stand revealed at last cursed in my birth, cursed in marriage, cursed in the lives I cut down with these hands”. (631). Oedipus knew that his fate had indeed come to pass and feels cursed by it. Oedipus was guilt, of killing his father and marrying his mother. He punishes himself for the sins he committed by gouging out his eyes. The true sin is when he attempts to raise himself to the level of the gods by trying to escape his fate. Oedipus is accepting the full burden of his acts and knows that he must be punished for his sins. Therefore, this last act of gouging out his eyes was the result of Oedipus’ free will and his tragic fate came about because every sin must
The ancient Greeks acknowledged the role of Fate as a reality outside the individual that shaped and established human life. There are many themes in Oedipus the King; among them is whether man or a higher power crafts fate in this play, we can see that men have limited control over their destiny. Their fate is already decided by a higher power and cannot be avoided. No matter what path you choose or how you react, your destiny will be fulfilled one way or another. The first clear example of this can be seen when Laius, the king of Thebes learns from an oracle that "doom would strike him down at the hands of a son” (Sophocles, 04).
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.
Thus, His stubborn nature helped him to fulfill his own fate. He was fated to kill his own father and indeed the prophecy came true on that very moment. Sophocles states that “short work, by god-with one blow of the staff” (Sophocles). He elaborates that there an involvement of the god on the event that took place.
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.
Through this portrayal of god’s vengeance as a force that can shake someone’s life or home, the author expresses that once the gods decide the future, they will not change it. In addition, Vieira’s scholarly article states, “Oedipus’ defense is . . . that he is morally innocent of his errors because of his lack of knowledge of the circumstances . . .” (13). Vieira states that Oedipus did not have the knowledge of his actions, which suggests that Oedipus is not responsible for his fate and that a higher power was the one pulling the strings.
The tragedy of Oedipus Rex exemplifies the corruption of the higher classes and the differing values of the Athenian society. The play represents the enduring themes of the flawed nature of humanity as well as the limits of free will. Oedipus, the new king sought to prevent the disturbing prophecy from occurring, in the processes accidently fulfilling the inevitable; murdering his father and marrying his mother. Through the twisting plot of the play emerged with themes that defined the era, the beliefs and ideas of the Athenians are shown in the ideas of corruption, knowledge, and fate.
The role of the gods/fate in human affairs is a central theme in most works of literature. In Greek literature, particularly, the will of the gods is commonly attributed to human experiences. In Oedipus the King, for instance, the oracle’s message that Oedipus will kill his father and marry his own mother suggests that he was a puppet in the hands of the gods, who manipulated the events that led to his fall. However, the character’s fate is not entirely attributable to the work of the gods. In the play, Oedipus meets his fate due to his determination to unravel the mysteries surrounding the king’s death, despite warnings by the prophet Tiresias and his wife/mother, and his quest to prove the oracles wrong in their declaration that he is
The gods play a major role in the Oedipus’ journey away from fate as they are the ones who send him on it. The gods in the play seem tyrannical in many ways. It is evident that the gods have power and control over many things, but instead of using it to help others, they make things worse for the people. Oedipus, for example, was given his fate not based on his own decisions rather it was based on his parents, “A coupled punishment by coupled sin: husband and wife one flesh in their disaster” (Sophocles 71). Oedipus’ fate was decided for him before he was born based on the mistakes made by his parents. He feels