An Introspective Look on Fate Concerning the Tragedies of Ancient Greece

A detailed Summary of An Introspective Look on Fate Concerning the Tragedies of Ancient Greece

Is man free to mold his own destiny, or is he a mere thread on the spool of life the Fates, the three female deities of Greek Mythology, cut? Can in fact man, determine his life based on his own free will or will he be subject to the web that is weaved for him? The force, which controls the path of man, has been a long survived question. This inquiry remains unanswered, yet consist of many explanations. Plato and Aristotle both felt that a world in which fate ruled completely could not be a good world. In such a realm, man could not be held responsible for his actions. Whether good or bad, he could not therefore be blamed. This idea was supported by their fellow Greeks and can be seen in the tragedies of ancient Greece such as Oedipus the King, Antigone, and Medea. Life is seen as a fate determined by the person and their choices rather than by the gods. This path the character takes, is often directed by the character's flaws or the great error he makes, often leading to his downfall.

Oedipus the King, written by Sophocles, starts off describing the famine, disease and poverty stricken Thebes. The town is in ruins because of a great error made by Oedipus. He had followed the specific prediction of the oracle he had originally

tried so hard to change. This error being he killed his father and married his mother. Due to his character flaws, he had made decisions that soon led to his inevitable destruction. Upon meeting the King of Thebes at the crossing of three roads, his arrogance and temper resulted in the death of Oedipus's father, the King of Thebes. Passing through the City of Thebes, he ended up marrying Jocasta, his mother. Both are puzzled with who murdered King Laius. They send for a prophet, yet because of Oedipus's lack of patience and blindness, he is unable to listen to the words spoken of Tiresias, the blind prophet. Oedipus had then, because of his temper, condemned the man who killed King Laius and said that what was going to happen to him would be worse than death. In reality he had damned himself and shunned himself away from the very city he had thought as his own. The truth is soon revealed, which leads to the death of Jocasta and the pity and remorse the chorus feels for Oedipus as he suffers from what he finally learned to be true.

Throughout history of human thought, man has struggled with the question: is man a meaningless pawn on a chessboard controlled by universal forces, or does he have power on his own fate based on the decisions he makes? Both, Plato and Aristotle, acknowle

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Approximate Word count = 871
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Arts