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Literary analysis of oedipus the king character
Tragedy of Oedipus the king
Fate vs. free will in oedipus rex
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Because of this action it allowed for Oedipus to grow up to then become king and marry Jocasta thus setting the prophecy into motion to be fulfilled. This shows that no mortal can change the path that the gods have set for them. The God that Stated Oedipus’ fate was the son of Zeus, Apollo. This is found out through one of Oedipus’ messengers that read the oracle of the gods and when Oedipus found out he stated, “Apollo said though his prophet that I was the man who should marry his own mother, shed his father’s blood with his own hands” ( Sophocles 3. 945-947). Even when the prophet of a god tells Oedipus that he will do all these horrible acts he still denies it and continues to try and find out the truth of who his parents really are and who killed the late king Lausis while avoiding what the gods are saying will happen
Upon receiving the prophecy that he would kill his father and marry his mother, he unquestioningly embraced its validity without challenging it. However, if he employed his common knowledge and free will, the course of events might have been altered. For instance, he tragically killed Laius in a dispute that could have been avoided with restraint. Additionally, when tasked with uncovering the murderer of the former king of Thebes, Oedipus willingly accepted the challenge, firmly believing it was his destiny to expose the killer and save his city. Unfortunately, his unwavering trust in fate and blind devotion to prophecies ultimately led to his downfall.
In the Greek tragedy Oedipus the King, Greek tragedian Sophocles employs numerous literary devices and elements such as foreshadowing, the use of dualities, and philosophy of know thyself to indicate that although Oedipus may believe he has free will, predestination and lineage becomes an overruling factor as fate becomes inevitable in his search for the true murderer of his father. Sophocles support this by characterizing Oedipus during the beginning of the story as in control, where he believes he has the power to control outbreak plaguing his city if he can find the killer of the previous king, Laius; then through gradual foreshadowing by Tiresias’s and the Oracle’s prophecies, as well as Jocasta’s flashback, the audience learns the
Fate versus free will is said to be the basis of many stories, from around the world. In Oedipus Rex, this is still true. The biggest debate in this story is whether the human life is decided by fate or free will. Oedipus fights his fate so fiercely, and in return he blinds himself once the truth was revealed. In Oedipus Rex, Oedipus sees his destiny in the oracle, tries to run from this outcome, and finds his fate has come true.
Oedipus Rex is the story of the man who desperately tried to avoid his fate, and in that way, he fulfilled it. He was ignorant about signs and messages he was given, which ultimately led to his demise. He was blind to all warnings and prophecies he was given. Oedipus’s demise was fate, as hard as he tried to avoid it, he fell into it anyway.
In Sophocles' Oedipus the King, the themes of fate and agency are very strong throughout the play. Both sides of the argument can be greatly supported. The attributes of a person have either a positive or negative affect on the choices that they make. For Oedipus, his main attribute was the desire for knowledge and understanding about his own life. Because of this strong will and desire, this was Oedipus’ driving force in the play to lead him to the truth of his beginnings.
How does destiny operate in Oedipus the King? Written amidst Ancient Greece’s golden age, a period marked by intellectual ferment, Sophocles’ didactic play, ‘Oedipus the King,’ explores the philosophical discourse surrounding the interactions between fate and freewill. Through the narrative of the protagonist’s downfall, Sophocles advises that “pride breeds the tyrant” within a ruler, and that their hubris is their hamartia. He educates the Ephebes on the dangers of ignorance, suggesting that wisdom is required to navigate the metaphorical ship in the correct direction. However, it is ultimately divine intervention that acts as the puppet master restricting characters from their attempts to defy their fate and therefore is responsible for the tragic consequences that unravel.
In the play Antigone, by Sophocles, the main character Antigone goes against the rules of the government by burying the body of her brother when she was not supposed to. Through allusion and metaphors, Sophocles proves that actions dictates one’s life rather than fate. During the play, Antigone pleads that she has been cursed by her parents and that is why she is being punished. Antigone claims that her fate is similar to Niobe’s, a greek myth, saying, “How often I have heard the story of Niobe… I feel the loneliness of her death in mine” (15-20).
SUBTOPIC C: In ancient Greece, they believed that everything that happened to them was determined by the Gods. Sometimes things that happened were seen as punishment or reward from the Gods, but other times events were simply the destiny that had been determined by the Gods and there was nothing that could be done about it. Fate is something that affects people of all kinds.
“There is no armour against fate.” JAMES SHIRLEY, The Contention of Ajax and Ulysses. This quote is very powerful because it tells us that you can’t protect yourself from fate no matter what it’s bound to happen and yet you have no control. In Oedipus his whole destiny and life is based on fate he tries to run away from it but it still manages to catch him in the three cross roads. Oedipus has no freewill because even when he’s trying to make choices he still advancing his fate.
The Greeks believed that they were controlled by fate, or destiny, and that they could not escape it. Oedipus’ fate was that he would murder his father and marry his mother. He moved away from his, not known to him, adoptive father in order to protect him and wound up murdering his birth father, King Laios of Thebes. After Laios’ death, Oedipus married the widowed queen Jocasta, not knowing that she is his birth mother. Some believe, because he was ignorant of his crimes, that he is innocent.
What is fate? Fate is considered to be a course of events in which are predetermined and unchangeable fate; as to where free will is the power of acting without the constraint of necessity or the ability to act at one's own discretion. “Oedipus the King” is a story produced upon fate. Three examples of fate in the story is that he gets saved after being left to die to be able to escape his so called destiny, him meeting and killing his father unknowingly knowing it's him, and him marrying and sleeping with his mother not knowing who she really is. During the play Oedipus tries to prevent committing the two worst crimes that at the time you could commit, incest and patricide.
One major theme in Zenobia’s short story is futility. Zenobia is graced with natural beauty, unmatched in battle, born from noble blood, and all around blessed with beneficial traits from both genders. In addition to these traits, she has the keen sense to become an enlightened individual, where in her leisure time she wanted “to be educated in all lore,” indicating Zenobia was well-rounded. Unfortunately, all her efforts and qualities are futile in the grand scheme of things when she is conquered by Aurelian. There is no point in achieving self-actualization if the eventual outcome is disgrace.
The Freedom of Oedipus is the Freedom of Thebes: Why Oedipus Cannot be Free Until the Truth is Exposed In Sophocles’ Oedipus Tyrannus, the theme of human fate versus free will is explored in the age-old tale of the king of Thebes who inadvertently murdered his father and married his mother. The play opens with Oedipus, a strong man and compassionate leader whom the audience can easily admire. By the closing of the play, a journey of self-discovery has lead Oedipus to his fall from kingship and exile from the city he loves, as well as the suicide of his wife and his self-blinding.
Fate or free will? Paulo Coelho once said: “I can control my destiny, but not my fate. Destiny means there are opportunities to turn right or left, but fate is a one-way street. I believe we all have the choice as to whether we fulfill our destiny, but our fate is sealed.” According to oxford dictionary, fate is the development of events outside a person’s control, regarded as predetermined by a super natural power.
