oedipus- fate and free will
"Oedipus the King", written by Sophocles between C.A. 496-405 B.C. is an example of Sophocles' belief that fate controls a man's life despite his capability of free will. Is life decided by fate, in that there is some master plan for our lives? Do we go through life making chance decisions without purpose? If life is pre-determined by fate, are we responsible for our actions? The Greeks believed heavily in prophecies, pre-determined life, and divine laws. Fate and freewill are explored and brought to light in the play through the main character, Oedipus. Oedipus is influenced by his inner strengths (free will and pride) and uncontrollable forces (fate). While Oedipus has free will to make his own decisions, fate continues to reveal itself in the end. Sophocles shows how no one has control over their life, and that fate is more powerful than evil. At the moment of his birth, Oedipus seems to have a pre-determined set of events that would lead to his own destruction. Although he has free will, the decisions he makes are set within the limits of fate and end up bringing the prophecy to life. The author suggests that humans have free will, but are limited by higher order that controls our path in life. For exa
As we head towards the climax of the play, Oedipus' decisions seem to have no effect on the outcome forecasted by the prophets. The more truth revealed, more thre fate seems to control his life. Oedipus' desire to find the truth about Laius' death and the mystery of his heritage brings him another step closer to the reality of his fortune. He finally meets with the messenger that tells Oedipus that Polybus, the man that raised Oedipus, was "no more your father than I am." (850) Still wanting more answers, Oedipus questions the messenger who tells him he was a "gift" to Polybus and that he received baby Oedipus from a shepherd. The shepherd admits to giving the messenger a baby, and that Jocasta gave him the child for fear that the prophecies would come true. Hearing this, Oedipus cries, "O God-all come true, all burst to light!" (855) Disgusted and humiliated, he gouges out his eyes. He comes face to face with his prophecy and cannot bear to see it. After all is said and done, he cannot look at himself, nor have anyone look at him. The Chorus believed that some evil "superhuman power" drove him to do it, but Oedipus proclaims, "Apollo-he ordained my agonies-these, my pains on pains! But the hand that struck my eyes was mine, mine alone-no one else-I did it all myself!" (859) We see Oedipus punish himself for his sins. He cannot bear the thought of looking into his "father in the eyes" when he "goes down to hell", his relationship with his mother, or bear "the sight of his children. Oedipus proclaims, "No, not with these eyes of mine, never. (860) mple, the God Apollo tells Oedipus, "You are fated to couple with your mother, you will bring a breed of children into the light no man can bear to see-you will kills your father, the one who gave you life!" (844) Here, Apollo reveals Oedipus' fate and starts him on his path in life. Little known to him, hearing his future leads him closer to his fate. Seconds after hearing Apollo's words, Oedipus tells Jocasta, "I heard all that and ran. I abandoned Corinth... always running towards some place where I would never see the shame of
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1410
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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