Oedipus And Fate

In the tragedy, Oedipus the King, fate is a predetermined course of events and is also an important factor that caused Oedipus’s downfall. Oedipus is ultimately a victim of his own fate because, despite his and Jocasta’s efforts, he could not escape the prophecies. Though others say that Oedipus created his own fate because he had the free will to handle the prophecies in becoming his own outcome, in the end, there was no chance that Oedipus could escape the prophecies. It was the fate for Oedipus getting saved after being left to die by his parents. Also, the gods brought the plague into Oedipus’s city, which caused him to search for the murderer of Laius. The truth behind the prophecy was also planned for Oedipus before he even knows it.

In Sophocles' Oedipus the King, the element of fate versus freewill shows up frequently all through the play. It is foreseen to Oedipus' parents, Jocasta and Laius, that their child would grow up to slaughter his father and wed his mother. Jocasta and Laius endeavor to dispose of their child, however, fate triumphs. Oedipus' fate all through the play has been chosen by the fate which adds to his annihilation. Various societies and cultures all through history have embraced similar perspectives, accepting a fate or destiny for their lives. Such points of view are very common is Greek myths who had confidence in "the three Fates" — goddesses who controlled the lives of individuals and the world in general. Clotho the youngest spins the thread of human life. She decides who will be born and when. Lachesis, a matron, measures the thread deciding a person’s lot in life. She is shown with a measuring stick, a scroll, a book, or a globe that represents the horoscope. Atropos, the oldest, choses the mechanism of death and ends the life of each mortal by cutting their thread. She is usually portrayed with a cutting instrument, a scroll, a wax tablet, a sundial, or a pair of scales. Even in modern day, some Christian philosophies incorporate destiny as fate. Many Jews acknowledge that their God has an arrangement for their people and nation.

Fate as defined by the Merriam Webster dictionary is ‘an inevitable and often adverse outcome, condition, or end’. Sophocles discusses fate vs free will in his plays. In the play Oedipus Rex there was a prophecy that Oedipus was destined to kill his father and marry his mother, he attempts to escape his destiny by running away to Thebes where he meets his fate. In the play Antigone, that main character Antigone decides to go against Creon’s (her uncle who has inherited the throne) decree and bury the brother, Polynices, knowing the consequences would lead to her death. In Sophocles’ plays Oedipus Rex and Antigone, the theme is mankind not being able to escape their fate.

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.

Sophocles states that “Fate has terrible power. You cannot escape it by wealth or war. No fort will keep it out, no ships outrun it.” Fate derives from a Latin word, fatum, meaning that one’s future is predetermined. In Oedipus Rex, Sophocles unfolds the misfortune of a noble king who searches for knowledge. Evidently, Greek heroes like Oedipus are destined to rule, but are also bound to fall, therefore, he cannot alter his own fate. This tragic play proves that the power of fate is indeed stronger than one’s free will. Despite his attempts to fight his destiny, Oedipus can never outrun his fate. Regardless of his parents’ desperation to evade the predicted outcome, fate guides his journey for knowledge, leading to his destruction.

It is a supernatural power that controls the thread of each person’s life. It is the decider of destiny and fortune. Fate is a common theme in Greek Literature, that deeply affects the lives of the characters of Sophocles’ King Oedipus. This tragic play is about the king of Thebes, Oedipus. In the play, there is a plague in Thebes and Oedipus must find the previous king’s murderer and punish him to lift the plague.

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?

The problem of the fate has always been exciting and mysterious. Fate is linking with problems such as the purpose and meaning of life, death and immortality. Thus, the idea of ​​the fate is intertwined into a single node all of the burning questions a human is trying to find answers from immemorial times. On the one hand, the fate is a universal category, serving as a universal context of human relationships with the world, but on the other hand, the destiny of each person is individual and unique. However, the concept of fate reflected to two opposite ideas: fatalism and faith in humans' ability to influence their destiny. Is a human an object of influence of the fate, or a creator of his life and future? The religious point of view states that the fate is stronger than an

It is the responsibility of man to take ownership of his destiny which separates the human condition for that of other earthly beasts. From birth, Oedipus, the tragic hero of Sophocles’ Greek Tragedy Oedipus Rex, is destined to kill his father and marry his mother. Although by the opening act of the play, Oedipus has earned the throne of Thebes for solving the riddle of the Sphinx, the eponymous character is unaware that he has already fulfilled his prophecy. Meanwhile, the people of Thebes are dying of a plague that will only end when the unknown murderer of Laius, the previous Theban King, is punished. Through retrospection, Oedipus believes that he might be responsible for Laius death and is told that the King and Queen of Corinth who

Fate, a fuzzy word to explain why things will happen. Scientist won’t accept this word because there is no evidence supporting it. The word “fate” usually appears under the writing of many authors throughout the history. Everyone can share a different view about the word “fate”, so, generally speaking, does fate really control our lives?

Anagnorsis leads Oedipus learn his tragedy from Theiresisa, and there is no chance to change his fate because it already happened. According to Oedipus talking, “ I must get married to my mother and kill my father…O you gods, you pure, blessed gods, may I not see that day!” ( ) It shows that Oedipus discovers his destiny from Teiresias, but he doesn’t know that the tragedy already happen on his life. Therefore, he tries to go far away from their parents Polybus and Merope because he does not want to see the tragedy will come true. As the story progresses, Oedipus finds out that Laius is his father, and his mother Jocasta is his wife. Also, they both have daughters Antigone and Ismene after they get married. As a reader, it is a fate because

I think for Oedipus to receive this fate or prophecy may not have been fair. He probably did not think so either but during that time if you were given a prophecy, that was your fate and you had to accept it. I think that for him to receive this fate he must have done something to deserve it, although his parents received this prophecy before Oedipus was born. Then again fate is fate, and the gods are the gods, they are all powerful and what they say, goes. If I had received this fate and was in Oedipus’s situation I would have told my parents hoping there could be some mistake or a way they could help me to get through it. If Oedipus had have done this his parents may have told him the truth of his birth. To avoid this certain fate he would

Fate is defined as a predetermined event that cannot be changed by mortals. In Sophocles’ Oedipus the King, Oedipus is marked by his fate, and he does not realize it until it is too late. Oedipus learns of his fate when he calls for Teiresias, the blind man who can read and interpret the prophecies. After being provoked by Oedipus, Teiresias angrily reveals that Oedipus is destined to kill his own father and marrying his own mother, while eventually gouging out his eyes. However, Oedipus does not fear his fate; he believes that he is invincible to these prophecies. How does one go about escaping fate? Does one have any control over these predetermined events? Oedipus is a man in pursuit of answers, and the idea of his prophecy coming to fruition does not sit well with him. He does not even fully understand fate and how it is going to affect him until he experiences it. Nevertheless, Oedipus understands that free will does exist and is seen throughout the text implementing his own actions into his everyday life. The idea of fate is flawed, and is used by Oedipus and people of today’s society as a scapegoat for one to hide behind their own poor decisions.

Fate played an important part in the plays and literature of the Greeks as is shown in Sophocles' play

In Oedipus king wrote by the dramatist and philosopher Sophocles, Oedipus is the only responsible of his destiny. Oedipus was the one who held his fate and destiny in his hands. Because of his actions that he made, the curse that he swore and the prophecy about him, he had to be punished for his actions and sins.