Oedipus The King Favors The Idea Of Fate Analysis

Over the centuries, the concept of fate is constantly being changed to adapt to our current way of living. In modern times the concept of fate is usually connected to the themes of love and romance. However the ancient Greeks recognized fate as an inescapable reality that shaped their lives. The famous playwright, Sophocles, adopts the idea of fate in his plays to control the character’s actions. In both plays, “Oedipus the King” and “Antigone”, the writer uses the concept of fate to show human’s inability to conquer the will of the gods.

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.

“A person often meets his destiny on the road he took to avoid it.” (Jean de la Fontaine), a sobering reminder of the extent to which Oedipus and his parents, Jocasta and Laius from the play Oedipus the King by Sophocles fight a predetermined course plotted for them by the gods and written by the oracles, only for it to transpire tragically. Despite the inevitability of destiny Oedipus, Laius and Jocasta defy fate with the entirety of their being, for to acknowledge the lack of free will is to live in anguish. Both Oedipus and his parents attempt to separate themselves from each other in an attempt to avoid their foretold fate. Unfortunately, they suffer the realization that, in spite of their intentions,

Many people believe that fate has planned out their lives and despite efforts on their part what was meant to happen, will eventually happen. This belief has been handed down over the centuries from some of the first civilizations, such as the Greeks. However, not all Greek citizens wanted destiny to take control of their lives. Some decided to choose freewill over the will of the gods. In Oedipus the King, Sophocles writes a cautionary tale meant to warn the doubters in Greek society that regardless of their beliefs in gods and prophecies, it is necessary to heed their warnings. Oedipus, Jocasta, and Laius are Sophocles’ characters that prove that escaping one’s fate is not possible, as each of their predicted fates is realized despite extensive efforts to thwart them.

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.

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

A very important debate that runs in our society is the role of fate in the life of a person. Many philosophers have chosen to highlight the importance of fate while many others, especially those with a scientific bent of mind, have chosen to ignore the role of fate. Many people, especially scientists, believe that fate is non-existent and that a man writes his won destiny. They believe that a man’s industry creates his fate and that there are other forces that determine the progression of his life. They cite the lives of great men and women, who had defied fate and had made a name for themselves in the society. They believe that a person must use his skills and his resources and fight against all odds to become successful in

Escaping Fate Fate can manipulate us like a puppet. It does not care how much good or bad you have done in our lives. Once fate preys on you there is no escaping. Oedipus was a victim of fate.

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?

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.

Escaping fate is something that no human on this earth can do. No one can escape it. For an example, trying to escape death. No matter how much a person diets, or exercise, or even doing the things the doctors told them to be healthy, everyone’s fate is to die one day. Dealing with the story Oedipus, it is based off of his fate and how it will be effecting others around him.

In Oedipus the king the Prophets tells Oedipus about how his life will pan out and that there is nothing that he can do about it. Oedipus, however thinks he can prove them wrong being the self righteous person that he is. He believes that fate is not real and that it's all about free will and individual decisions that lead to and determine the future. Oedipus is wrong for thinking that he can change his fate because the world is controlled by fate not free will.

One element that I have learned from the Greek Drama Oedipus the King is the concept of predestination. Throughout the play, this idea that a person’s destiny is already predetermined for them was clearly emphasized. Even when Oedipus tried to run away from his destiny, by the end of the play he fulfilled the foretold prophecy. This way of thinking made me draw a conclusion about how the culture of the Greeks were. Based off the play, I drew the conclusion that the Greeks highly revered their gods because they deeply believed that their life rest within the hands of their gods. Most of the people of Greece must have tried to live a holy and acceptable life to please their gods while others lived per their liking. Another element that I learned was from the Russian piece The Cherry Orchard. An aspect of Russian culture was noticeable while reading. Finding humor within the thought of a suicide was very foreign yet was still an interesting piece of culture. From this aspect, one could say that most Russians must not fear death as much as other countries. Nonetheless it is still an interesting part of their culture.

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.