Oedipus the King by Sophocles is a play that has stood the test of time mainly due to the important themes it explores. The main theme being man’s vain struggle against the all-powerful will of the gods. Whereas ancient cultures believed in fate and a preordained path for humankind, modern culture is based on the idea of free will with the notion that every individual is free to choose between right and wrong, good or evil. This has become the basis by which each member of society is judged. There is, however, philosophers and scientists who have posited that we do not really have free will; that our destiny is set in stone. The play is a good platform to explore fate versus free will.
Greeks believed strongly in the influence of fate and the idea that the invisible power of the gods have control over one’s future. Fate is the central theme in Oedipus the King and this tragic play demonstrates how human lives are destined to take a certain path. E.R. Dodd writes: that “Oedipus Rex is a tragedy of destiny. . .the play proves that man has no free will but is a puppet in the hands of gods who pull strings to make him dance” (37). In Oedipus the King, Sophocles uses foreshadowing, symbolism, and dramatic irony as he reveals to his audience the lesson that a person cannot escape their predestined fate.
Throughout Oedipus Rex, there are several instances in which the power of fate is demonstrated. This, through the use of Sophocles prose and craft, is able to fully demonstrate the raw capability fate can yield upon one person’s life. What began as a common societal belief that manifested itself into the arts became a pivotal impact upon the plot of the play. This is the underlying theme Sophocles communicated within his
Fate is known as a predetermined course of events that are beyond a person’s control. Those individuals that acclaim their fate are eventually granted happiness over those who deny and try to change it. For years cultural and religious groups have emphasized how important trusting in your fate is. For example, Sophocles’ play entitled Oedipus Rex exemplifies the repercussions of what happens when you slap fate in the face. In Oedipus Rex, the main character, Oedipus tries to run from and change his fate. Oedipus rejects any signs of help, especially signs of his past. Sophocles uses Oedipus as an aid in this play to demonstrate what could happen if you disregard or alter any predictions of your fate. In Oedipus’ life there are three main
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.
Prior to Oedipus’s birth, it was prophesied that Oedipus would end up killing his father and marrying his mother. Due to this, Oedipus was abandoned at birth and raised by the King and Queen of Corinth. As he eventually discovered, via a drunken man, that he was not a birth son of theirs, he sought the guidance of the Delphi Oracle to confirm this discovery. In frustration of this prophecy manifesting itself, Oedipus ends up killing an old man, who happened to be his father, King Laius. The death of his father led to the imposition of a plague in Thebes delivered by Apollo, and in attempts to follow proper leadership, Oedipus is determined to apprehend the murderer and remove the plague from Thebes. After Teiresias blamed Oedipus for the
In Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, dramatic irony helped the audience sympathize with Oedipus and remember that fate is inevitable. This is restated throughout the play through Oedipus trying to escape his fate. The original prophecy was that the Son of King Laos and Queen Iocaste would kill his father and marry his mother. Oedipus was thus, as a child, kicked out of Thebes and left on a mountain by his real parents once he was born (61-64). Laos and Iocaste tried to avoid their fate and go against the will of the Gods. They believed that if they leave Oedipus by the mountainside and let him die, they could prove the oracle wrong. Another example of inevitable fate is his adoptive parents. His adoptive parents, Polybos and Merope told Oedipus the
With a prophecy hanging over Oedipus’ head, his fate was already in place. Portrayed as a good person, Oedipus had no control over what he would do in his life, but he tried to overcome the prophecy, he defended himself, as anyone would, and he blinded and exiled himself for the people of Thebes.
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
Does fate control us or do we control fate? This question has been posed many times by numerous amounts of people. The struggle with answering this question is that one cannot know their effect on fate if that fate is not known. To combat the difficulties of answering this question directly one can look toward philosophy and literature to approach this question in a more direct manner. Through the philosophic ideologies presented in Epictetus’s Handbook and Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics, one can observe how to approach fate and free will. In addition, looking at the literature of Macbeth, Oedipus The Tyrant, and Frederick Douglass’s Narrative, one can analyze examples of the relationship between fate and free will. Taking these philosophic approaches and applying them to literary examples, one can see how fate merely establishes events in life while free will allows for change to it.
Sophocles is the author of the famous play, “Oedipus the King”. In case you did not know, Sophocles is from Greece. In Greek mythology there are three goddesses who preside over the birth and life of humans. Each person 's destiny was thought of as a thread spun, measured, and cut by the three Fates, Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos. In the story “Oedipus the King” fate and destiny was the main theme. On Google the definition of destiny is the events that will necessarily happen to a particular person or thing in the future. Fate is defined as, the development of events beyond a person 's control, regarded as determined by a supernatural power. In this paper I will be analyzing the story to help you understand the significance of destiny and fate to the story.
In my opinion Oedipus was truly doomed from the beginning. He tried his hardest to avoid the prophecy he was given at birth but to no avail. Many people tried to change the course of Oedipus’s future and even went as far as holding back damaging information. Peoples attempts to change Oedipus’s fate went as far back as the day he was born. His own biological parents tried to have their infant son killed to prevent the prophecy from being fulfilled. Oedipus himself tried everything possible to escape his fate. He left his home and took on a new identity to insure his safe future. However, no amount of distance he traveled or amount of precautions he took, fate conquered all and the prophecy was
Are all events predetermined? Does everyone have a prophetic destiny that they must fulfill? If so, who determines their fate? Who—or what—binds them to their fixed ending? Is there really no way to resist? Is fatalism—the theory that all events are preset and inevitable—true? And if it is—is there ever such a thing as free will?
However, in his attempts to escape the prophecy, Oedipus ran straight to it. At the time, he was unaware that he had been adopted. Instead of escaping his fate, Oedipus met Laius on the road and murdered him and four of his escorts out of anger and self-defense. This was the first event, though not actually shown in the play, that set Oedipus’s destiny into motion.
"Oedipus the King" is a tragic play showing a shift from the belief of fate to freedom of choice. Therefore, Oedipus the king is a great example of those who run from fate ends up fulfilling their fate