Oedipus the King: Free Will or Fate?
A common debate that still rages today is whether we as a species have free will or if some divine source, some call it fate, controls our destiny. The same debate applies to Oedipus the King and Oedipus at Colonus. Does Oedipus control his actions, or are they predetermined by the gods? It’s that question that makes Oedipus a classic, and many different people think many different things.
With all the oracles and talk of prophecies, its obvious that there is some divine intervention in Oedipus. But how strong is it, and how much control does Oedipus really have? Fate, or divine will, manifests itself in a number of ways. First, in Oedipus at Colonus, there is the oracle at Delphi that tells Oedipus’s parents and then himself that he will kill his father and marry his mother. It does end up happening, proving divine intervention occurs. Later, the prophet Tiresias tells Oedipus exactly what the oracle did, making himself another example of divine will, that is, the gods speak through him.
Divine intervention is abundant in Oedipus at Colonus, too. In it, Oedipus tries to gain sympathy for himself by saying all the sins he committed in the previous play were the work of fate, thus proving the point of divine intervention in Oedipus the King. There are examples of divine intervention that are only in Oedipus at Colonus, like all the prophecies from the oracle. First, it is said that the city Oedipus is buried in will be blessed forever. Second, it is told that whoever has Oedipus on their side for the war will win. Lastly, it predicts that Oedipus’s sons will kill each other in battle. All three prophecies come true, thus proving the existence of divine intervention.
Divine intervention is definitely present, but free will has its place too. Before the play even starts, Oedipus makes the choice to leave his “parents” and move to Thebes. He then chooses, though ruled by anger, to kill an old man blocking his path, who later is discovered to be his real father, King Laius. Sure, it was fate that made Oedipus kill his father, but free will that made him kill Laius that day, in that way.
After discovering she married her son, Jocasta makes the choice to kill herself. Nothing intervened or predicted her death, it was her choice.
Many times in life, people think they can determine their own destiny, but, as the Greeks believe, people cannot change fate the gods set. Though people cannot change their fate, they can take responsibility for what fate has brought them. In the story Oedipus, by Sophocles, a young king named Oedipus discovers his dreadful fate. With this fate, he must take responsibility and accept the harsh realities of what’s to come. Oedipus is a very hubris character with good intentions, but because he is too confident, he suffers. In the story, the city of Thebes is in great turmoil due to the death of the previous king, Laius. With the thought of helping his people, Oedipus opens an investigation of King Laius’s murder, and to solve the mystery, he seeks advice from Tiresias, a blind prophet. When Laius comes, Oedipus insists on having the oracle told to all of Thebes showing no sign of hesitation or caution. This oracle states that he will kill his father and marry his mother. Oedipus must learn to deal with his terrible and appalling fate the way a true and honorable king would. Because...
Canada’s food labelling practices are very much a work-in-progress. Labelling itself is a very important issue as it affects both product sales for companies and personal health for consumers, especially since most Canadian consumers learn about nutrition from food labels themselves (Nguyen) and are especially inclined to trust labels (Gruère, Carter and Farzin). Through labelling law, government is also able to impose food standards on products. An extensive set of rules to govern every possible category of food product is used and adhered to in the food inspection process. Food labelling itself is mainly tied to issues of health and safety and consumer rights, but has also recently been involved in trade relations (which will not be discussed), as is the case with US-Canada labelling laws.
Throughout Greek literature, fate has been an influential piece in the plot of many Greek pieces. In Oedipus The King, Oedipus, King of Thebes, knows his prophecy, in which he is to kill his father and marry his mother. He was sent away to be killed by his parents, but he was saved by a servant and became the son of the King and Queen of Corinth. When he learns of his prophecy, he decides to flee Corinth, to not bring pain to his parents. Oedipus believes he is able to disrupt his fate, but fate is set and cannot be changed. From other Greek literature like the Odyssey, gods manipulate the character, but eventually, the outcome is the same. In Oedipus The King, Oedipus’ peripeteia is when Teiresias is summoned, once Teiresias speaks the truth,
When establishing whether it was fate or free will that determined the outcome of Oedipus’ life we must take in to consideration each side. Some people can say that he brought all of his suffering on himself but then again some people can say that it was his destiny that bad things were to happen to him.
Most of us do not think twice about the foods we pick up from the supermarket. Many Americans have a preconceived belief that the food being sold to us is safe, and withholds the highest standard of quality. Certainly, compared to many places in the world, this is true. But is the United States sincerely trying to carry out these standards, or have we begun to see a reverse in the health and safety of our food- and more explicitly in our meat? Jonathan Foer, author of “Eating Animals” argues for reform within the food industry- not only for the humane treatment of animals but moreover for our own health. Although Foer exposes the ills within the food industries in order to persuade readers to change their diets for the better, his “vegetarianism or die” assessment may be too extreme for most Americans. The true ills do not start with the meat, but with industrialized production of it through methods practiced by factory farming.
Wireless communication across the country was something no one ever imagined. The creating of the commercial radio in 1920, created a feeling of belonging to many citizens of the United States. Starting off as a hobby for amateurs, radio quickly expanded. With the creation of NBC, and emerging radio stars like Ernie Hare and Billy Jones radio, families tuned in on a daily basis. Music was brought to lower income families who couldn’t afford to buy a piano. As well as streaming music, radio provided advertising outlets. Promotions regarding cigarettes, automobiles, and soap
that their son would kill his father and marry his mother (page 56). A son was
In the famous tragedy by Sophocles, Oedipus the King, the selfless hero is met with a devastating end, leading readers and spectators to the ultimate question of the author’s work: was his fate truly inevitable? Oedipus finds himself entwined within a world where free will juxtaposes with the Greek belief of divine power guiding fate: the human has the ability to control his own destiny unless gods decide to intervene, whereupon all efforts to control or resist fate become futile. However Oedipus still believes he is acting freely by running from the city of Corinth to save whom he believed to be his parents but he subsequently runs into his true father, to who he then murders after a horrendous dispute. Unknowingly, the gods were guiding
The ancient Greeks were fond believers of Fate. Fate, defined according to Webster’s, is “the principle or determining cause or will by which things in general are believed to come to be as they are or events to happen as the do.” The Greeks take on Fate was slightly modified. They believed that the gods determined Fate: “…fate, to which in a mysterious way the gods themselves were subject, was an impersonal force decreeing ultimate things only, and unconcerned with day by day affairs.” It was thought that these gods worked in subtle ways; this accounts for character flaws (called harmatia in Greek). Ancient Greeks thought the gods would alter a person’s character, in order for that person to suffer (or gain from) the appropriate outcome. Such was the case in Oedipus’s story.
Some people say that there is no way to control your own life, that your life has been planned out for you ahead of time and there is nothing you can do to escape this fate. Others believe that your life is a matter of choice, and what happens to you during your life is a result of your actions. The story of Oedipus Rex by Sophocles seems to prove truth in both of these statements, that there is a life predetermined for you yet you can alter your life, but you can not escape your prophecy. The quote "I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul," by William Henley states just the opposite of what seems to be proven in Oedipus Rex. Because of the references in the story of Oedipus, I disagree with the quote made by William Henley.
In the story, “Oedipus the King” before Oedipus became king of Thebes, he made choices that led to events that defined his fate. The first event emerged when Oedipus heard a drunken man saying that the ones who cared for Oedipus at Corinth were not his biological parents. The terrible news is what set forth the very first steps towards the beginning of the events that led to his fate. Oedipus confused and interested in the truth, went on to speak with God. However, the God did not answer what Oedipus questioned and instead had his fate foretold. “The god dismissed my question without reply; he spoke of other things. Some were clear, full of wretchedness, dreadful, unbearable: As, that I should lie with my own mother, breed children from all men would turn their eyes; and that I should be my father’s murderer,” (Gioia, 2010). Oedipus still unfamiliar, of who his parents were, chose to flee from home in attempt to prevent the God’s statement of his fate from coming true. Oedipus’ choice of fleeing the country was perhaps a bad decision. It was what led him to experience the first event of his fate. As Oedipus goes his...
Oedipus was not composed by his fate; he was responsible for his own conduct. From his very birth Oedipus was predetermined to marry his mother and murder his father. His situation was inevitable. Although Apollo exhorted the prophecy in Delphi, this event only drove Oedipus to fulfill his destiny.
The Greek tragedy Oedipus the King, by Sophocles, was written to show the common people of Greece how powerful the gods are and that your fate is pre-determined and nothing you do can change that. He does this by showing how people in this story try to escape their fate and how it is no use because in the end, what the oracles predict comes true. In the story there are many occasions in which people try to escape their fate.
Courage is the ability to overcome fear physically and morally. While stranded in the mountains, one of the biggest things the survivors felt was fear. When that plane crashed in the middle of the mountains, nobody knew where they were and what could happen. The biggest fear present was fear of the unknown. Instead of being pushed down by the fear, the survivors were courageous and overcame one obstacle at a time. They started with what they knew and built a system from there because they had the courage to make life possible. I’ve experienced fear many times in my life and every time, I am forced to dig deep to find the courage to overcome. Before my first mountain bike race I was filled with fear. It was on the hardest trail on the mountain and I was completely unfamiliar with the terrain. I was going up against riders who had six times as much experience as I did. I had to dig deep to find the courage to get on my bike and race instead of taking the easy way out and disqualifying
The main choice of free will that was made in Oedipus the King was for Oedipus to decide to find his own identity. The prophecy given to Oedipus states that he will kill his own father, and marry and have children with his mother. Horrified by the thought of this, Oedipus leaves his city so he can stay away from his parents to avoid the prophecy coming true. Oedipus does everything he can to try and find out the truth and his own identity; this shows his determination as a character but also shows that he is still able to make his own choice of free will. When Oedipus travels to Thebes, he is presented with another choice of free will, to become king or to continue to move on. Without him knowing, his choice to stay puts him in the hands of fate and brings him that much closer to fulfilling the prophecy. Jocasta Tries to convince Oedipus that prophecies are not accurate but ironically uses another prophecy from the play to defend her claim “Then thou mayest ease thy conscience on that score/ Listen and I'll convince thee that no man /Hath scot or lot in the prophetic art/ Here is the proof in a brief. An oracle /Once came to Laius (I will not say / 'Twas from the Delphic god himself, b...