Oedipus The King: The Lie That Is Free Will

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

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.

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.

Response to Literature: Oedipus the King Fate: be destined to happen, turn out, or act in a particular way. In the play, Oedipus the King, by Sophocles, the main character Oedipus is a victim of fate. Whether he tried to change what was supposed to happen or not, it still happened. When Oedipus was first born, the oracle put on his life damned him from the beginning.

Sophocles' Oedipus the King is a Greek tragedy. In the play, Oedipus and his parents try to avoid the prophecy that has been cast upon them. The prophecy stated that Oedipus would kill his father, Laius, and marry his mother, Jocasta. While trying to outwit the divine will of the gods, they ultimately play right into fate’s hands and the prophecy becomes true. Throughout the duration of the story, Sophocles uses dramatic techniques such as the blindness motif to get the lesson across to the audience. Through this motif, Sophocles suggests to not be blind to fate, because destiny can never be escaped.

People, historically, have thought that fate and free will are intertwined and play equally important roles in one’s life, but this does not apply to ancient Greek thought. For instance, Sophocles, a Greek tragedy playwright, and the Greeks at his time believed that a person’s destiny was foreordained before birth, decided by the triple goddesses called the Fates, or Moirai. In Sophocles’ play, Oedipus Rex, the topic of fate is treated thoroughly among its characters, specifically as related to the protagonist, Oedipus. Oedipus, when attempting to solve the mystery of King Laius’ death in order to resolve the plague of Thebes, found out the truth about his own fate, which was to commit patricide and fall into an incestuous relationship with

The tragedy of Oedipus Rex exemplifies the corruption of the higher classes and the differing values of the Athenian society. The play represents the enduring themes of the flawed nature of humanity as well as the limits of free will. Oedipus, the new king sought to prevent the disturbing prophecy from occurring, in the processes accidently fulfilling the inevitable; murdering his father and marrying his mother. Through the twisting plot of the play emerged with themes that defined the era, the beliefs and ideas of the Athenians are shown in the ideas of corruption, knowledge, and fate.

In Sophocles’ Oedipus the King, the theme of fate versus free will appears often throughout the play. It is prophesied to Oedipus’s parents, that their son would grow up to kill his father and marry his mother. “Their attempt to assert their free will is foiled when fate intervenes, in the form of the “good will” of a Shepherd who spares the infant’s life”(McHough4). The parents try to get rid of the son but fate doesn’t allow this to happen. Oedipus’ fate throughout the play has been decided by the prophecy, which contributes to his destruction. , Oedipus’s fate is not complete before the beginning of the play (134). Apollo is aware Oedipus is guilty of killing his father so when Apollo asks for Laius’s killer to be found, Oedipus will find

Greeks believed strongly in the influence of fate and the idea that the invisible power of the gods have control over one’s future. Fate is the central theme in Oedipus the King and this tragic play demonstrates how human lives are destined to take a certain path. E.R. Dodd writes: that “Oedipus Rex is a tragedy of destiny. . .the play proves that man has no free will but is a puppet in the hands of gods who pull strings to make him dance” (37). In Oedipus the King, Sophocles uses foreshadowing, symbolism, and dramatic irony as he reveals to his audience the lesson that a person cannot escape their predestined fate.

Individuals love power. Being in control of their lives makes them feel superior over others as they are free to make any decisions they desire. Consequently, when fate intervenes, the free will of individuals is comprised, making it difficult for them to accept the reality in which they are no longer in charge of the choices they want to make. Their future has been predetermined resulting in specific actions being hard to comply with. This is the case, in Sophocles “Oedipus the King”, as the instances of consequences are demonstrated when Oedipus marries his mother and kills his father, supporting the fact that fate has strength to fulfill any decree from the Gods. The prophecy of Oedipus, is a prediction of one’s future which ultimately becomes

The battle between whether people follow fate or have free will has been a difficult argument to find an answer to. “Do I have free will or is everything fate?” It has been argued that everyone 's life has a plan and is determined by fate. Others also believe that people create their own destiny with free will. Therefore, people come up with many justifications for why events happen in their lives to determine free will or fate. For example, many individuals people that finding their soulmate is fate. They believe that no matter what you may do, the person that one is supposed to be with will come into their life. Others feel that there is no such things as a soulmate. Many people believe that a person ends up with whomever they work to be in a relationship. On the other hand, what if the person that someone is working to be with is actually the person that fate puts them with. In the tragedy, Oedipus the King by Sophocles, Oedipus’ fate starts with a prophecy. No matter how much Oedipus tries to do the “right” thing, the prophecy comes to term. It is argument-able that Oedipus was led to his tragic ending by fate. It is also possible that his tragic ending was brought open by his own actions. The idea of fate and free will both played an important role in Oedipus’ downfall. Even though he was a victim of fate. It did not control him. Oedipus was destined to kill his father and murder his mother from the day he was born. No matter what he’d done, he could not stop this

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.

Fate is defined as the development of events beyond a person’s control. A person’s predetermined course of events better yet. In Sophocles’s Oedipus the King, fate is primary theme in the play. The influence of fate goes beyond the play but how Greeks viewed fate entirely. Also, Oedipus somewhat represented the Athenian political system and the people of Athens by his leadership. And lastly, having the play unfold, one is able to sympathize with Oedipus and strike pity and fear rather than disgust from his sins.

In The Oedipus Cycle, fate plays a large role in each character 's destiny. Oedipus is told at a young age that he is doomed to murder his father when he is older. Antigone, trying to give a proper burial to her brother kills herself once she is caught. The main characters in Oedipus Rex and Antigone are doomed to face their bleak future because it is in their fate to do so. They are both destined for a tragic end. Although the audience is aware of Oedipus’ future, his tragic flaw is not outwardly known. The idea of fate and prophecy serves to shed light onto the flaws of each character that ultimately lead to their downfall. In both plays, fate functions as a divulgence into the future that the character 's are better off not knowing. Each character 's knowledge of their fate causes him to act out erratically, and eventually lead to his downfall.

Fate; something that unavoidably befalls upon a person, fate is influenced by one’s own actions, but is ultimately dictated by events beyond human control. In this play Sophocles demonstrates the power of fate through certain situations that occur throughout the play which are uncontrollable. The gods preordained Oedipus’ future, with all its intricacies and landmarks which lead Oedipus on his quest to find his identity and the truth. However, the path Oedipus “chooses” is simply a reaction to the predetermination of his life. Ultimately fate, through Oedipus’ own “choices” is his opponent throughout the play.