Essay about Oedipus: Do Not Try to Control Your Fate

Oedipus the King by Sophocles is the story of a man who was destined to kill his father and marry his mother. The story continues in the tradition of classic Greek plays, which were based upon the Greeks’ beliefs at the time. The ancient Greeks believed that their gods decided what would ultimately happen to each and every person. Since those gods destined Oedipus to kill his father and marry his mother, Oedipus’ life was definitely fated. However, the gods only decided where Oedipus’ life would eventually lead; they never planned the route he would take to get there. All the decisions that Oedipus made in order to fulfill his destiny, and the decisions he made after the fact, were of his own free will,

In our world today, fate and free will remains the biggest mystery of all; is everything we do controlled or do we have the freedom of choice? In the story "Oedipus the King" by Sophocles, the author uses the idea of fate and free will to explain the struggle of Oedipus's life. Fate and free will is explained as; fate is controlled by an outside supernatural force, and there is no way of controlling it. Free will is when each of us is responsible and controls all aspects of our own life. The author of "Oedipus the King" uses ironic devices to convey a tragic attitude toward the struggle of fate and free will.

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).

How does a jury decide if someone is guilty or innocent? Both sides present evidence, and the magistrate has to delve into the evidence and decide what makes sense and what doesn’t, and uses the evidence to make a decision. When reading, evidence is given pointing to different aspects of the story, such as the antagonist, protagonist, theme, tone. ect. In the story, Oedipus Rex, the condemnation can fall many ways, but the evidence all points towards one thing, fate.

Hubris in the Worst of Times Not all prophecies in Greeks mythos came to pass, proving that it is possible to evade these "fates". The story of Oedipus is not like that. Oedipus falls right in the hands of the Fates when he makes the selfish choices he does. The king is too proud to find fault in himself, too ignorant to listen, and too selfish to think of anyone but himself. There were ways to avoid this, but he never did the right thing.

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.

Oedipus has a tendency to make rash/ impulsive decisions out of emotions that he is feeling, but he also knows how to act on his thoughts and save Thebes from the Sphinx, and the plague. Next, we see that Oedipus is always one step ahead it seems. For example, he sends Creon to the Oracle, instead of him leaving to go see the Oracle because it would give Creon a chance to take over (This makes Oedipus very smart and qualified for the job as ruler). But it can also be argued that by Oedipus making rash decisions it is these decisions that lead to his fate and downfall. His fate has been there since the beginning of the story and his life (Predestination) due to his

In life one is always presented with a choice no matter how grievous the situation is, there is always a way to overcome it. Oedipus is no exception of this. In Oedipus the King, by Sophocles, Oedipus is responsible for his downfall because of his hubris. When Oedipus hears about his fate he is determine to escape it, but by attempting to do so he ends up following his steps to fulfill his destiny, something that he tried to avoid in the first place and feared the most. Throughout the story, Oedipus is presented with similar situations and the choices that he decided to make would ultimately lead to his downfall.

One of the main reasons Oedipus’ story turns out so tragically is because of his unwillingness to accept his fate. He will not accept the predictions made about his life, even though they were prophesied by the oracle of the gods. For example on line 362 Teiresias says to Oedipus “ I say you are the murderer of the king whose murderer you seek,” and Oedipus replies by accusing him of lying even though

One day someone told Oedipus that he was not a blood son of the Kings of Corinth and this bothered him, so he decided to go to the oracle at Delphi and ask about his blood parents. The oracle told him that he was fated to kill his father and married his mother. Fate plays an important role in this part because here is the beginning of Oedipus tragedy because he tries to avoid the oracles prophecy and he went to Thebes where the tragedy takes place. “Sophocles has provided a conclusive answer to those who suggest that Oedipus could, and therefore should, have avoided his fate. The oracle was unconditional: it did not say ‘If you do so-and-so you will kill your father’; it simply said ‘You will kill your father; you will sleep with your mother.’ And what an oracle predicts is bound to happen. Oedipus does what he can to evade his destiny; he resolves never to see his supposed parents again. But it is quite certain from the first that his best efforts will be unavailing.” (Dodds 69)

The power of fate in Oedipus the King was one that shaped the entire story. In the beginning of the play, Oedipus heard from Creon that the plague has hit the city of Thebes and for it to move out of Thebes, someone was to finish off the person who killed Laius. Oedipus took it upon himself to save the city. When a blind prophet informed him of the prophecies that Oedipus was the murderer and that the man who was responsible for killing Laius will be the brother and the father of his own children, Oedipus was appalled. When he later told Jocasta of the prophecies, she denied them. And explained that fate isn’t real. Oedipus then realizes that all the prophecies he was told in his lifetime were in fact, true. The influence of fate on Oedipus was something that he couldn’t runaway from. When he found out his parents weren’t his actual parents, Oedipus tried to runaway from his problems. But in actuality, he was the son of Laius and Jocasta, which proved that the

Oedipus’ actions are matched by his over confidence and impulsion to make him prey to the very fate he wishes to avoid. His desperate escape of fate arises from the attempt to live without committing heinous offenses of the prophecies provided of him killing his father and marrying his mother. In lines 341-347, Teiresias enforces the role of Fate by saying, “Well it will come what will, though I be mute[…]I have no more to say, storm as though willst, and give the reign to all thy pent-up rage.” Translated, Teiresias insists that regardless of what Oedipus says or does, fate will follow him and play its way out. Although it can be fought that Oedipus chose to follow every action that led to his tragic fall, he did not

Tiresias as he says these words shows that it is the gods who are playing with Oedipus’ future as though he was their puppet and they the puppeteer. The blind prophet makes a reference to Apollo a god, which insinuates that they have power over the circumstance and that fate must take its place, for the gods have arranged for his punishment and outcome of his life. Although Oedipus can be gratified for his great demonstration of perseverance, in the case where Oedipus wants to find out who his parents were, Jocasta firmly advises him not to do so. Oedipus perseveres and does what he believes to be right for himself and for his own good. Firstly he is very steadfast in discovering his true identity, this indicates that he is not ignorant of his true birth parents and has a certain untamed curiosity which Jocasta did not have. (860-861) Even when Oedipus discovers his true identity and the truth about his life including the prophecy

Oedipus’s life and destiny was said to be set by the god’s, but together with his parent’s lies and his own ignorance, he brought upon his downfall foretold so long ago. It was only when he was born that a prophecy of Oedipus, who was to kill his father and marry his mother. Terrified and without much thought of the consequences, Iokaste and Laius abandoned the child to die. Oedipus did not die. Instead he became a strong and well respected prince, who believed his real parents were king and queen of Corinth. Oedipus’s adoptive parents kept him in the dark about his true identity. For this reason, when ignorant Oedipus hears of his prophecy, he runs away terrified. Ironically, on his journey away from home, he encounters his real father, Laius King of Thebes, which he kills due to an argument. Moreover, he goes on to become King of Thebes and husband of Iokaste, his biological mother. So, without realizing, the fate that Oedipus wanted to impede so badly occurs right before his eyes, showing that fate “lies within Apollo’s competence/As it is his concern” (Oed.

There are a lot of factors that contribute to Oedipus’s downfall. Even before Oedipus was born, there were prophetic signs of ill omen about his destiny. The destiny of murdering his father, and becoming his mother’s husband has already been laid and set in place.