Success In Sophocles 'Oedipus The King'

Whether success follows the character’s dreams becomes irrelevant, considering the campaign they endured gives them opportunities that otherwise could have not materialized, emphasizing that one should follow their aspirations regardless of the consequences. Oedipus from Oedipus The King is a prince who was abandoned by his royal parents due to the prophecy which preceded him, of him killing his father and marrying his mother. Oedipus eventually became king and thus kills his father and marries his mother in the process, a fulfillment of the prophecy. A synopsis of his life is given near the end of the play,

“Oedipus,- Him who knew the famous riddles and was a man most masterful; not a citizen who did not look with envy on his lot- see him

Oedipus not surrendering to fate and choosing to dictate his own legacy may be considered his hamartia, however, good or bad its hard to tell. Readers are quick to evaluate his predicament as good or bad, causing them to disregard one or the other. However, the hamartia he had, and the unfortunate events which transpired also caused those opportunities to present themselves. The opportunities which were presented could have not materialized if not for his so called hamartia, he initially became a king for it, one that was loved and respected. As the priest said “Now Oedipus, Greatest in all men’s eyes” (Sophocles 46) while he was king. Reminding the reader that being fixated on the actualization of their dreams causes them to disregard the course which took them there. The course Oedipus took presented opportunities that made him discover more about himself as well. He chose to leave who he presumed to be his parents, “When I heard this I fled … where I should not see fulfilled the infamies told in that

Additionally, his determination was exemplified through his unwavering will to uncover the killer of Laius, even if it was himself. “Upon the murderer I invoke this curse—whether he is one man and all unknown, or one of many—may he wear out his life in misery to miserable doom” (Sophocles 266-269). Through this, instead of being an ordinary person he became OEDIPUS, a tragic hero but an extraordinary man nonetheless. Furthermore, in The Brave New World John experiences opportunities which he otherwise could have not experienced, considering he was able to plea his case to Mustapha Mond, a world controller. John expresses his perspective on the limitations placed in the World State, “‘But I don 't want comfort. I want God, I want poetry, I want real danger, I want freedom, I want goodness. I want sin.’ ‘In fact,’ said Mustapha Mond, ‘you 're claiming the right to be unhappy’” (Huxley 143). Through this it becomes evident that John was given the opportunity to experience society and discover more about himself. From having sex, experiencing “love”, and experimenting with drugs, consequently causing him to reconstruct what contemporary society believed to be “living”, as a