Oedipus Fate Analysis

If predictions were to be real, one could really believe that is what is going to happen in the future. In “Oedipus the King” this is actually true, Oedipus calls for his fate unwillingly and definitely inevitably. Fate is described as something that unavoidably befalls a person. The author of “Oedipus the King,” Sophocles, writes a tragic fate that Oedipus was born to live. I will begin by giving a brief analysis of the story to give a better understanding, and explain point by point why fate was just inevitable in this story.

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,

Fate can be described as something being destined for someone, while free will is the ability to act at one’s own discretion without the use of fate or gods. Both fate and free-will is portrayed in the following plays Oedipus and Medea. In Oedipus, free will is expressed in certain situations that would later determine the outcome of what is destined to be for him. On the other hand, in Medea, she uses her fate to her advantage by using her free-will to exploit others in order to get to what’s destined for her. These two concepts came from greek mythology, where in Greece the mortals believed that the fates were controlled by the Gods. In order to find out their destiny they had to visit an oracle, which is a person who knows what fate is

If Oedipus was to never kill his father and marry his mother it would of been another story because in order for him so set events in order he had to accomplish the emotions first. Some might think Oedipus rex was decesions was free will because even after he found out he had kids by his mother he still kept it going on instead of picking someone else and also because he didn't have to kill his father. It could also be free will because Oedipus arrogance caused his downfall. Oedipus believe that him leaving his adoptive parent is him running away from his fate but really he's running into it so the idea that this tells us here is that you can't run away from your fate you just have to step back and let it happen. Next we on the quest for identity so Oedipus looking into who his real parents are leaves him to discover that he is the killer of Laius and that's what made him banish himself.

What is fate? Fate is something that is meant to happen and it is beyond a person’s control. In some cases it can be changed on the choices made. Fate has a story already written. It depends on when the story is discovered. This essay will revolve around precisely fate and how it could have been changed in these stories. It will explain how the characters in Oedipus Rex and The Kite Runner decided their fates.

By definition fate is “the development of events beyond a person’s control, regarded as determined by a supernatural power.” The key concept being the fact that events are beyond a person’s control. And if they are beyond our control, then how can anyone be held accountable for any crime they’ve committed or bad decision they’ve made. But if we throw the idea of fate out the window, then we are left with only free will controlling our lives. So in the story of Oedipus the King whether or not Oedipus is at fault for killing his father and sleeping with his mother is completely dependent on what side wins out in the battle of fate versus free will.

In the tragedy of Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, a man named Oedipus pursues truths of his identity and is announced ruler of Thebes after the unfortunate death of their king because of his great act of ridding the land from the deadly Sphinx, but he's soon to find out about his new terrible Fate. In the beginning of the story, citizens beg King Oedipus for help regarding the plague overtaking Thebes. He responded to the citizens with the fact that he sent his brother-in-law, Creon, to the Oracle of Delphi in hopes Apollo will offer his help. When Creon arrived back to the palace, he says that Apollo wants Thebes to find former King Laius’s murderer. In order to find the clues, Oedipus had to seek information on who killed Laius. Oedipus decided

According to Greek mythology, fate is an inevitable influence that has the power to rear one’s future whether they are aware of it or not. Within Oedipus’s situation, this concept is held true. Specifically, During the middle of the investigation, when Oedipus was questioning a messenger from Thebes, the messenger said “If you ran from them, always dodging home…” for which Oedipus responded “Always, terrified Apollo’s oracle might come true-”. The messenger then exclaimed “You’ve really nothing to fear… Polybus was nothing to you, that’s why, not in blood (1107, 1108, 1111,

“Oedipus The King” by Sophocles is a story of great tragedy. Oedipus lived in Corinth with his adoptive father. He hears of a prophecy that threatened his family and decides to leave Corinth to defy his fate. Oedipus’ biological parents also heard the same Prophecy and sent Oedipus to be killed when he was just a baby. The Servant responsible for the task could not kill Oedipus, so he left him in the mountains to be found. Oedipus then unknowingly found his way into the kingdom of Thebes where his biological parents ruled. Oedipus became king after saving Thebes from a sphinx by completing its riddle.

He is a man who is compelled to know the truth. This is a characteristic that he was born with, and therefore, is an element of fate. He is unable to control his persona he was given at birth, but while this may be an element of fate, it directly ties to his free will. Through his inherent belief that justice must be served for his people, Oedipus makes a decision that is completely of his own free will. Oedipus’ concern for justice for King Laios, for the people of his land, and for his own personal safety, leads him to make the decision that the murderer “must be killed or exiled” (I. 94). Resulting from this decision is the balance Sophocles intends to portray between fate and free will. Fate is clearly seen through the psychological tendencies seen through Oedipus’ character (Shamir 1). The contrasting trait of free will is seen through the actions Oedipus decides to take as a result of his personality.

From the very beginning, the fate of Oedipus is laid out and unchanging; the only free will he had was how he would arrive at that fate. In ancient Greece, the idea of a set endpoint is applicable to everyone from the gods to the lowly beggars. Oedipus is no exception; When he tells Iocaste, his wife, about how “Apollo said through his prophet that I was the man/ Who should Marry his own mother, shed his father’s blood/ With his own hand” (52), his belief

Fate in Ancient Greece was an insurmountable and unavoidable force. It was so prevalent that, “[e]ven Zeus, the mightiest of all gods, was subject to the powerful force of Destiny or Fate” (Religion Facts). It was an aspect so fearfully revered that it became deeply intertwined and rooted in daily life. This concept is something that theologians have pondered over the years, and can be seen questioned in Sophocles’ Oedipus Tyrannus. For example, the clash between what the gods have predetermined for Oedipus in contrast with Oedipus’ own choices, can be argued to have been the principle reason as to why the events in the work unfolded the way they did. Sophocles’ Oedipus Tyrannus demonstrates that though fate is inevitable, free will does still factor as a determinant of events, allowing the argument that instead of being conflicting factors, free will and fate work in tandem.

There were many decisions made by the characters throughout the story which, if altered, would have drastically changed the outcome of the play. The shepherd made the choice to send baby Oedipus away with an old man of another kingdom: “I pitied the little man, master, hoped he’d take him off to his own country” (Sophocles 1301-1302). If Oedipus had been raised in Thebes instead of Corinth, he may not have fulfilled the prophecy. Had he been raised with Jocasta, she would have at least recognized his face. She most likely would have killed herself before marrying her son, for that is how she reacted in the play when she learned to whom she was wedded: “...[W]e saw the woman hanging by the neck...” (Sophocles 1395). There were other decisions that Oedipus could have made along the way as well, which would have changed the outcome of his life. One example is his choice to continue his investigation into Laius’s death, even

On his way to Thebes he met a group of travelers who harassed him and in self-defense he killed them all. Free will played its part here, as Oedipus could have easily forgiven some of the lives of travelers but he chose to kill them all, unaware of the fact that his birth father was amongst them.

Aristotle’s Poetics argues that the a successful tragedy is determined by its “plot, character, diction, reasoning, spectacle and lyric poetry” (50a8). A great tragic work, as described by Aristotle, will be impossible without plot, but characters are merely optional—the most effective tragic device lies in the perceptions and implications a tragedy’s plot yields. Yet, having a protagonist of “not outstanding moral excellence or justice” undergoing bad fortune due to error instead of “moral defect or depravity” would make a tragedy excellently distinguished from others. According to these properties, Oedipus Tyrannus by Sophocles makes a perfect case for tragedy with its