Oedipus The King Research Paper

In the early beginning before King Oedipus’s reign of Thebes lived Cadmus. Cadmus was the first Greek hero to be advised and mentored by the oracle at Delphi and was assigned to build a city called Thebes. Cadmus constructed the city of Thebes and was the first King to reign over the city. However, Cadmus encountered a dragon who guarded the well outside of the cities walls and killed it, little did he know, the dragon happened to be Apollo's favorite dragon. For his unfortunate actions, Apollo cursed Cadmus and his family for many generations to come, in which, the queen and king of Thebes would bear a child who would kill his father and marry his mother. A few generations later King Laius and Queen Jocasta of Thebes bore a baby. King

Oedipus summons Herdsman, formerly of Laios’ house. Herdsman confesses, the child he gave to Oedipus’ parents “was said to be Laios’ own son,” (737). That child was indeed Oedipus. All the prophecies were proven to be true. Oedipus killed his own father and slept with his own mother. Till the very end, he follows his fate. Feeling despair, Oedipus stabs his eyes out. As I mentioned before, Tiresias warns him that “Your eyes, which now see life, / will then see darkness” (719). Oedipus begs Kreon to exile him out of Thebes because he can’t bear the weight of the truth. The curse he placed on the murderer at the beginning, “he’ll suffer nothing worse than exile” (714), is now placed on him. His free will to act leads to his final destined

Equally important to the role of fate in bringing about the downfall of Oedipus is the human flaw of arrogance that clouded Oedipus’ intellect to reason. One can ultimately see this human flaw in the beginning of the play as he says “Here I am myself – you all know me, the world knows my fame: I am Oedipus” (p 262, line 7-9). One day Oedipus heard someone say that he wasn’t his father’s son in which bothered him greatly and triggered his curiosity in whether Polybus and Merope were his biological parents. So, as a way to figure out his identity and true origins, he left to Delphi to see the Oracle. However, instead of answering Oedipus’ answer of who his true parents were, the Oracle told him of his fate that “You are fated to couple with your mother, you will bring a breed of children into the light no man can bear to see – you will kill your father the one who gave you life” (p. 297, lines 873-875). Hence, his arrogance is clearly showed as he disregards the prophecy, similar to the actions of Laius and Jocasta by escaping it, as he abandons Corinth and sets forth to a place where he “would never see the shame of all those oracles come true” (p. 297, lines 879-880). His flaw of

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 Oedipus the King, by Sophocles, the hubris of Oedipus dictates the story, especially when he flees from Corinth, refuses to listen to Teiresias, and threatens to kill Creon. When Oedipus heard the prophecy which stated he was supposed to kill his father and marry his mother, he "fle[es] Corinth...in an attempt to avoid fulfilling the prophecy" the priestess at the oracle of Delphi tells him (431). By attempting to escape his fate, Oedipus is trying to circumvent the wishes of the gods, who have given him this prophecy. The theme of defying the gods is apparent in Greek literature, it is also seen in the epic poem Odysseus, by Homer. This defiance caused both Odysseus and Oedipus great misfortune, as a result from excessive pride, or hubris.

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.

Do you think our fate is predetermined or do we have some control over it? Many people now think that we have some control in our destiny, depending on the actions and steps that we take during our life time. On the other hand some people think that you have no control over your fate, and have to follow the destiny of your family members. In Oedipus the King, Sophocles seems to argue that man has no real control over his or her destiny. Throughout the whole story he shows us how people try to run away from their fate and no matter how hard they try to change the outcome, they can’t.

In Sophocles play, Odeipus The King, there are many types of universal themes to humans in society. The main character, Oedipus reveals traits that humans have. No one wishes to kill their father or marry their mother. However metaphorically speaking, we can relate to his emotions and behavior. His actions and how he reacts to certain situations, defines him as a worthy person.

“Oedipus Rex” was a Greek Tragedy written by Sophocles in the fifth century BC. It was the first of a trilogy of plays surrounding the life of Oedipus. Sophocles wrote over 120 plays approximately 100 years before Aristotle even defined a tragedy and the tragic hero. Aristotle’s definition of a tragedy is “… an imitation of an action of high importance, complete and of some amplitude; in language enhanced by distinct and varying beauties; acted not narrated; by means of pity and fear effecting its purgation of these emotions” (Kennedy and Gioa 2010). According to Aristotle there were six elements to a tragedy: the plot, the character, the

Tragedies are events that cause great suffering, distress, and destruction, such as a serious accident, crime or natural catastrophe. One example of a tragedy is Oedipus The King, written by Sophocles around 441 B.C. Many events in this tragedy take place and cause the main character, Oedipus, to reach his downfall. Oedipus’ intelligence, pursuit of truth, and hot temper all contribute to his downfall. Oedipus’ intelligence is one thing that leads to his downfall.

As he searched out his past, Oedipus met his downfall, unable to accept how the prophecy came true in the end. This prophecy stated that Laius, the king of Thebes, would have a son who would kill his own father and marry his own mother. When Oedipus realized that he had killed his father, Laius, and married his mother, Jocasta, he created the consequences of his actions. The fatal flaw that orchestrated his downfall was hubris, which then resulted in being brash and stubborn. Oedipus was prideful of being Thebes’s savior and the fact that he was portrayed as a good king that could provide the people’s needs. However, when he found out that he had fulfilled the prophecy, he felt that he was unworthy of his position and did not deserve to

People’s actions, feelings and behaviour towards others have a large effect on their fate. Some citizens in society have flaws that cause them to make bad decision in their lives and cause trouble for themselves, even if it may happen unknowingly. Acting without thinking of repercussions and behaving in difficult ways are all examples of how people can self-inflict their fate. One man that demonstrates these issues and causes major problems for himself is Oedipus from the story King Oedipus. Oedipus’ pride, impetuous behaviour and lack of insight ultimately determine his inevitable fate.

Oedipus never had control of his destiny and he stated that he was “the child of Fortune!” (Sophocles 39). At this point in the story, Oedipus realizes that he has been like a puppet for the Greek gods. He learned about his prophecy while living in Corinth and did everything he could in order to prevent it from happening. However, the gods played around with his life and made it so that anything Oedipus tried to do to prevent the prophecy from coming true, would bring the prophecy one step closer to becoming reality.

Large-scale questions of such ideas are raised in Sophocles’ play, “Oedipus the King”—a story that deals with the tragic hero, Oedipus, and his demise. Oedipus progresses through the play struggling against his own wicked destiny: the prophecy that declares that he would kill his father and marry his mother. Ultimately, Oedipus fulfills this prophecy; in fact, he had completed his fate without his own knowing and before the play even begins. Despite his belief that he was fighting against his prophesized destiny, Oedipus was ironically fulfilling it, and he slowly brings about his own downfall. He becomes a victim of his own fate. In this regard, “Oedipus the King” explores a terrifying concept: Oedipus never had free will—a puppet in every sense to the higher beings that decided his ending for him.

"Oedipus the King" is a tragic play showing a shift from the belief of fate to freedom of choice. Therefore, Oedipus the king is a great example of those who run from fate ends up fulfilling their fate