Was Oedipus Responsible For His Own Downfall Essay

Although, he was smart and a quick thinker, most of the times his temper proved fatal to him. This is the flaw in his fate. He might be smart, but did deserve to be banished for killing the king and for the welfare of the people of Thebes suffering from the plague. He did all his actions unintentionally; yet, it could’ve been prevented. The murder of his father could have been prevented, if he were to be careful and ignore the fact about who was to go first.

The tragic fall of Oedipus in Sophocles play “Oedipus Rex” is both self-inflicted and result of events drawn from his own destiny. First off early on in Oedipus’ life his first deadly mistake towards succeeding his self-inflicted downfall was the murder of his father the former king. In a blind rage without any motive, he kills Liaus and his men at a rode crossing. Fate may have had led him to that point but it was his own rage that resulted in his biggest mistake. Further evidence of his self-inflicted downfall Oedipus’ was at the hands of his own ignorance. This ignorance combined with his stubborn, determined attitude does not allow him foresight. This foresight would have led

Although Oedipus’s fate was already determined, he is not just a mere puppet of the gods, meaning he can control his own life. Before full knowledge of his unintentional incest, he tries to flee town in order to avoid marrying his mother. By doing this he is taking matters

     From before Oedipus was born, he was doomed to kill his father and marry his mother, a very cursed fate. Throughout his life, the readers learn that Oedipus tries his hardest to avoid this dreadful proclamation; however, the gods were against him before he was even in his mother's womb, so Oedipus and the readers quickly learn that there would be no way for him to avoid

           Oedipus has spent all his life running from his fate. He has, we learn, been told that he is fated to kill his father and marry his mother. And he refused to accept that fate. He has spent much of his life moving around, so as to avoid his fate. It was a

So we are done with devling into Pythian oracles, this jangled mongering with birds on high, which foretold…” (51). What his parents did to him by sending him off to die actually started the domino effect. Of course, they were only thinking of the safety of their future because when people are in trouble they tend to be a little selfish. It was not Oedipus’s fault that he killed his father and married his mother. They

Later, he wins the throne of Thebes and unknowingly marries his mother, Jocasta, after answering the riddle of the Sphinx. So now the question is asked, is he guilty for committing these crimes of killing his father and wedding his mother or is he innocent for committing them unwillingly? He is believed to be guilty of these crimes because he killed the king of Thebes, guilt lies in actions not in intentions and he took responsibility of those actions. Even if it was fate to kill his father, when Oedipus crossed upon the king and his guards, he chose to fight and not to back down. After, Oedipus had shown no remorse for the crimes he committed, until years later when he is faced with the truth about who he killed.

Oedipus is Responsible (Option 2) Oedipus is responsible for his own suffering and tragic experiences. He put himself in these situations and he could have acted differently to prevent his downfall. His arrogant and stubborn personality cause him to make many wrong decisions. For example, he kills a man and marries his wife, not knowing that they were his birth parents.

Oedipus causes his own downfall through his arrogance. He thinks that Teiresias is falsely accusing him of murdering Laius when Teiresias says, “…you are the murderer whom you seek” (Sophocles 1264). Teiresias then tells Oedipus that the man who he seeks will be brother and father to his children and husband and son to his wife. Oedipus’s hubris is also a major cause of his downfall. Because he tries to escape what fate has in store for him, he ends up falling right into what was planned

Oedipus’ destiny or fate had little to do with his downfall. The prophet told Oedipus that he was destined to kill his father and marry his mother, but the prophet never mentioned Oedipus murdering Laius on the highway, or solving the Sphinx’s riddle, or accepting and taking advantage of his kingship. Oedipus blinding himself was an example of free will, “for he removed from…[Jocasta’s] garment the golden brooches which she was wearing…” by choice “…and struck the sockets of his own eyes..” blinding himself Free will and hubris, according to the ancient Greeks, were separate from unavoidable fate. Oedipus’s fate was to kill his father and marry his mother. However, everything else, including fleeing Corinth, solving the Sphinx’s riddle, and finally pursuing the truth about his life, was by his own free will, a direct result of his ego and pride. Oedipus Rex is a story about the dangers of pride and arrogance, one teaching about the importance of humility and tolerance, and one stressing about the control of hubris, a potentially perilous quality that destroyed Oedipus’s vision and his life.

He left home immediately as he loved whom he grew up to believe was his real father. After running away, events came into play to where he unknowingly killed his biological father, the King of Thebes. Thus, fulfilling part of the prophecy.

Oedipus was informed by an oracle that he would be the one to murder his father and marry his mother. It is important to know that Oedipus is a descendant of the first King of Thebes and because of this several of his relatives have met tragic deaths by taking unwarranted actions into their own hands. Before Oedipus was born his father Laius was told by the same oracle not to have any children by his wife Jocasta which he did anyway. This was not a situation that originated with Oedipus; it seems that this type of fate is destined to be intertwined in this family’s bloodline.

Could Oedipus be a victim of fate or is he responsible for his own tragedy? In the play "Oedipus the King" by Sophocles, the author displays the Greek's belief of fate controlling a man’s life despite of a man’s free will. Man was free to choose and was extremely held responsible for their own actions. Throughout Oedipus the King, the idea of fate and free will plays an important role in Oedipus' downfall. Although Oedipus was a victim of fate, he was not guided by it at all. When Oedipus was born, he was intended to marry his mother and to murder his father in the future as a prophecy warned by the oracle of Apollo.

In order to escape the prophecy that he would kill his father and sleep with his mother, Oedipus thought it best to leave Corinth. What Oedipus did not know is that the parents he was leaving were not his biological parents.

Oedipus is not innocent for his action at law and does in fact bear the responsibleness for the outcomes that his action at law have caused him to endure.