How Does Oedipus Try To Prevent His Fate

Jocasta, Oedipus mother and wife, knows of the prophecy and even knows of all this evidence showing the prophecy true. But Jocasta chooses to ignore it because what it will do to her and her family and her empire. And when she does find the truth, she kills herself. She even tells Oedipus the prophecy many times and uses it to try to prove it false. And when he does get close to finding the answer even she knows that he must stop because the outcome will only hurt everyone,“ JOCASTA- Ah mayst thou ne'er discover who thou art!

This information makes Oedipus uneasy. He recalls having killed a man answering Laius' description at this very spot when he was fleeing from his home in Corinth to avoid fulfillment of a similar prophecy. An aged messenger arrives from Corinth, at this point, to announce the death of King Polybus, supposed father of Oedipus, and the election of Oedipus as king in his stead. On account of the old prophecy Oedipus refuses to return to Corinth until his mother, too, is dead. To calm his fears the messenger assures him that he is not the blood son of Polybus and Merope, but a foundling from the house of Laius deserted in the mountains. This statement is confirmed by the old shepherd whom Jocasta had charged with the task of exposing her babe. Thus the ancient prophecy has been fulfilled in each

Jocasta is forced out of denial and commits suicide at the same time that Oedipus discovers the truth. She feels so guilty for her despicable actions which could not alter the prophecy’s course and for her incestuous sins that she takes her own life to end the suffering.

Oedipus the King is a tragedy that displays irony throughout the play. In the play, King Laius and his wife Jocasta learn that in the prophecy their newborn son, Oedipus, will kill his father and marry his mother. In order to prevent the prophecy from occurring, they decide to bind and tie his ankles and then abandoned him. When Oedipus grew up, he eventually learned about this prophecy and decided to leave his parents. What he did not realize was that the parents who raised him were not his biological parents. On his voyage to Thebes, Oedipus ended up in a chariot accident

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.

Oedipus Rex, also known as, Oedipus the King is the story of a man who’s most vicious enemy was himself. Oedipus is a tragic hero who constantly denies the truth and allows his pride to lead him to trials. The question this play raises is can you escape fate? Oedipus spends his life attempting to run from his fate and the fate of his parents.

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

Oedipus rises as a hero, but eventually loses his power when he faithfully commits to terrible deeds. Jocasta, the wife and mother to Oedipus, doubts that the oracle of Apollo is genuine. Since she and her previous husband, King Laius, left Oedipus to die in the mountains, they refuse to believe the oracle. She claims that “ ..It was fate that he should die a victim at the hands of his own son, a son to be born of Laius and me. But, see now, he, the king, was killed by foreign highway robbers at a place where three roads meet” (Sophocles, 493: 791-796). Despite Jocasta and Laius’s intentions to change their fate, the prophecy remains unfeigned. The fact that Oedipus is alive even after being abandoned, is evidence that their fates are

Oedipus the King: Blinded by Fate and Determination (593) As people, our feelings and attitudes on things have existed for so long over such a long period of time that this makes it extremely hard for us to see some of the visible truths in different situations. Sometimes people that are blind and cannot see at all can actually see more than a person that has their full sight. In life, we often blind ourselves to the difficult truth, which is inevitably predetermined and is too painful for us to bear. Sight is used throughout the play Oedipus the King to allude readers to all the significant things that Oedipus should have been aware of.

In the Greek myth “Oedipus the King,” Oedipus is told as a young man that he is going to kill his father and marry his mother. His fear of fulfilling this horrendous prophecy leads him to attempt to run from his fate. Oedipus becomes King of Thebes, and there is a plaque covering the town. In order to lift this plague, he must find the killer of the previous ruler Laius. Through this hunt, a blind prophet summoned hints at another prophecy involving an incestuous marriage, as well as a future involving blindness, infamy, and wandering.

Jocasta rejoices, convinced that Polybus’s death from natural causes has disproved the prophecy that Oedipus would murder his father. At Jocasta’s summons, Oedipus comes outside, hears the news, and rejoices with her. He now feels much more inclined to agree with the queen in deeming prophecies worthless and viewing chance as the principle governing the world. But while Oedipus finds great comfort in the fact that one-half of the prophecy has been disproved, he still fears the other half—the half that claimed he would sleep with his mother.

Oedipus wants to escape from the prophecy because it foretold that he would murder his father and wed his mother. Jocasta, Oedipus’s mother, tries

Throughout Oedipus The King, Oedipus embarks on a journey to realize that he is the murderer of his father, Laius, and husband to his mother, Jocasta, making him a victim of what seems to be an inevitable fate. What makes this more tragic is that Oedipus, a seemingly good leader, tries to avoid his fate, but instead keeps inviting it over. Violating the word of gods and doing things in excess shows Oedipus’ pride that leads to his hubris. Because of his hubris, Oedipus brings his fate upon himself. In this way, fate is connected to the traits of Oedipus, known as hamartia, instead of it being a divine thing. Oedipus can’t escape his fate because it is a part of him; no matter where he goes and what he tries to do, it will always be there. Fate seems beyond anyone’s control and more of the will of gods, but Oedipus’ fate is found within his personality. Moreover, Oedipus’ traits are not something that he can control. He did not choose to let his ego take control and ultimately determine the course of his life. This means that it was inherited by the choices others made, or just by luck. Basically, fate determines Oedipus’ hubris and his hubris leads to hamartia, an element of fate. This connection between his hubris and hamartia shows that what can make him a good leader goes downfall when it becomes excessive. This is what Oedipus is blind to and does not realize. His pride that comes to identify him and makes him a hero to everyone becomes too much and is the same thing that leads to his downfall.

In all, Oedipus murdering his father highlights the strength of a predetermined future, validating the belief that one cannot escape destiny. The prophecy made by the oracle at Delphi being fulfilled, further assures one that this perceived prediction, is rather the truth. Moreover, the many coincidences indicating Oedipus as the killer, were not remarkable occurrences, rather fate hinting to the criminal. Once Oedipus had realized of the crime he had committed and the toll fate fell upon him, he felt guilty and shameful for what he had done. Throughout the play, Oedipus was not able to accept the prophecy told to him, as he believed that he had full ownership over his life and his decisions.

Could Oedipus be a victim of fate or is he responsible for his own tragedy? In the play "Oedipus the King" by Sophocles, the author displays the Greek's belief of fate controlling a man’s life despite of a man’s free will. Man was free to choose and was extremely held responsible for their own actions. Throughout Oedipus the King, the idea of fate and free will plays an important role in Oedipus' downfall. Although Oedipus was a victim of fate, he was not guided by it at all. When Oedipus was born, he was intended to marry his mother and to murder his father in the future as a prophecy warned by the oracle of Apollo.