Oedipus The King Fate Vs Free Will

From birth, Oedipus, the Tragic Hero of Sophocles’ play Oedipus Rex has been destined to kill his father and marry his mother. Although by the opening act of the play, Oedipus has already earned the throne of Thebes for solving the riddle of the sphinx, the greek hero is unaware that he has already fulfilled the prophy. Meanwhile, the people of Thebes are dying of a plague that will only end when the murderer of Laius, the previous Theban King, is punished. Through retrospection, Oedipus believes that he might be responsible for Laius death and is told that the King and Queen of Corinth who raised him were not his biological parents. In this passage, Jocasta, having already discovered the truth that she is both Oedipus’ mother and wife, warns Oedipus to go no further in his path for self knowledge. But Oedipus ignores her warning and calls for the Shepherd, to learn more about his mysterious lineage. This passage suggests that Oedipus’ downfall is not the product of fate but of his own free will. Sophocles employs characterization, word choice, and irony to reveal how free will has led to tragedy.

Before we approach this complex question inductively, we are at first obliged to contemplate what definitions and assumptions are being made. This essay, perhaps more so than others, requires a more extensive look at this aspect of the question, because of the sheer variety of possible responses. However, I now have reduced them to three possibilities. Firstly, we could make the assumption that perhaps as destiny controls all fates, then Oedipus' character was created long before he was conceived. On the other hand, we could also say that perhaps Oedipus' horrific fate came about because of his character and fate. The final possibility is that everything is inevitable - therefore no one ever has had

Do we have control in our lives or is our lives in the hands of a higher power like the gods? Well in the play that Sophocles wrote, Oedipus Rex, Oedipus, the main character, tried to avoid a prophecy, that said he would kill his father and marry his mother. The actions of Oedipus, and the action of others, made his control, powerless, which played a role in the outcome of his life. However, Oedipus had tragic flaws and poor choices in the play which, again, played the most in his life's outcome. Sophocles uses dramatic irony throughout the play to heighten the truth that Oedipus is so blind to see. He also uses dramatic irony to show that Oedipus life is free will instead of fate because Oedipus choose his path regardless of the prophecy.

Can a person have control over his or her own fate? Humans have little authority of their lives because fate always catches up with them. In the play, “Oedipus the King”, Sophocles presents to readers a psychological murder mystery. Oedipus, Sophocles main character, attempts to escape fate not from pride or desire, but from a divine ambition to live without committing horrifying crimes. Sophocles work reflects major details that incorporate a tragic flaw, a tragic fall, and tragic realization for the tragic hero, Oedipus.

In classic Greek literature the theme of a tragic hero is prominent. In Sophocles’ classic Greek tragedy Oedipus Rex, the protagonist falls victim of being a tragic hero. Events within the text lead readers to question Sophocles’ implementation of fate and free will. This key philosophical question poses a conflict between the prophecy of Oedipus’s life and the decisions he makes once told about the prophecy. If Oedipus was able to make independent decisions such as gouging his eyes out, (an event not told about in the prophecy) could he have made decisions to go against his predetermined fate? In the same regard, is Oedipus a victim of his fate or could his choices have impacted the overall fortune his life? Sophocles leaves the ideas up to the interpretation of the reader. Tragic irony plays a role in the interpretation of these ideas. Briggs defines tragic irony as when “a character’s words carry a deeper and more sinister meaning for the audience than the character speaking intends them to impart” (Briggs par. 19). This concept supports

We will start off with the wonderful Oedipus Tyrannus. Within the story of Oedipus, prophecy plays the inevitable role of each character’s entire being. The fate of Oedipus was one that all readers cringed when discovering. But it was free will that allowed him to develop his own conclusion of reality. The obvious truths are the ignorance of truth, set right before the king and his wife. Oedipus practices his free will based off the prophecy that was revealed to him as a child, that he would kill his biological father and marry his mother. Oedipus said:

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.

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines fate as: “an inevitable and often adverse outcome, condition, or end”. Fate vs freewill is a common theme throughout the thematic play, Oedipus the King. Starting out, he protagonist, Oedipus, learns of his ill fate; he will marry his mother and kill his father. There is quite a bit of controversy over whether the downfall of his life was caused by his destiny, or by his actions. Ultimately, though, fate played a greater part in the great tragedy of Oedipus’ life. There were no choices he could have made that would change the outcome. He was doomed to live out this woeful tale.

Every action someone takes and choices he or she makes leads to their future. According to the idea of fate, there is a development of events in every person’s life that is beyond their control and is certain to happen. One view of fate is that the choices a person makes leads to their fate. Each action of theirs changes their fate from the previous one. However, the other view is that no matter the choices a person makes or actions they take, their fate is predetermined and cannot be changed. A person’s fate is preset and nothing they do can change that. All the choices they make lead to that destiny. In the play Oedipus the King, the author, Sophocles, challenges the idea of fate versus free will. Is fate set or does free will exist? Can one’s choices change the outcome of their fate, or is their destiny set from their birth? In Oedipus’ life fate was stronger than choice and freewill. From the beginning, everything Oedipus did to avoid his fate led to his tragic end. Choices and actions made all lead to the preset destiny.

As, Philosopher Socrates believed; Humans usually lead themselves by fate and free will. Similar to Oedipus Rex, “Kafka on the Shore” contains the themes of fate and freedom. The idea that ones life is rued by freedom or fate brings up major conflicts for the characters in the novel. While some characters seek freedom, they are often influenced/ guided by their fate.

The underlying theme in Oedipus Rex is that fate is more powerful than free will. On this strong basis of fate, free will doesn't even exist. This was a popular belief among the ancient Greeks.  Fate may be accepted or denied by modern society, but in Oedipus's story, fate proves inevitable. In the play, Oedipus Rex, the characters Oedipus, Iocaste and Laios try to change fate.

In the two thousand since “Oedipus Rex” was written, it has been analyzed and dissected innumerable times and in every possible way.  Usually the analysis has been within the context of the play itself or within the context of other Greek tragedies.  Perhaps it would be more relevant and interesting to evaluate the play within the context of the modern world.

The concept of fate has existed since the time of the ancient Greeks. The Greeks believed very strongly in fate, which can be defined as either a power beyond human control that determines events, or the outcome or end. In "Oedipus Rex," King Oedipus lives and dies by fate. Fate influences the entire plot, thereby allowing for some interesting developments that may be unpredictable to the audience.

It’s an early morning and you’ve just brought in the newspaper. Flipping to the horoscope section right away, scanning over your daily predictions in hope of a good day and lucky for you, the horoscope says you’ll run into ‘the one’ today. Even though many others have received the same fortune, you still believe it to be true because the paper said it was going to be destiny. Can you believe that thousands of years ago, people still believed in destiny? Way back in ancient Greece, they didn’t exactly call it a horoscope but their version of destiny was brought to them by Oracles. A popular Greek play that represents the Greek’s belief in oracles is Oedipus the King. In Oedipus the King, Sophocles demonstrates a variety of literary devices such

Hand in hand, fate and free will play starring roles in an individual’s life, determining the occurrence of certain events. Throughout many pieces of timeless literature protagonists and antagonists alike are constantly handed life-changing events whether they want them or not. Even though it is viewed as absolute, fate can be changed by the execution of certain actions but that does not mean it should be changed, and the occurrence of ‘fated’ events in an individual’s life present choices that in turn shape fate further.