Fate Vs Free Will In Oedipus The King

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In Oedipus the King, one of Sophocles most popular plays, Sophocles depicts that fate will control the journey of a man’s life through free will. In today’s society, people let their life’s to be controlled by certain believes they strongly abide. Throughout Oedipus the King, the concepts of fate versus free will plays a crucial role in Oedipus’s life. Oedipus personality causes him misfortunes through his downfall by continuously denying accepting his own fate, as his temper took a major tool on him, and the rational choices he made. The main cause of Oedipus’s downfall is his unwillingness to accept his own fate. Fate is derived from the Latin word “fatum”, meaning ‘that which has been spoken’. This interpretation is linked to the ancient …show more content…

The choices they made were not by their own judgment but rather of the reactions to situations neither of them was prepared to deal with. Upon hearing the prophecy of their future, they made a harsh decision out of fear. They had Oedipus sent to die in the mountains which might sound cruel but back in the ancient times, it was a normal nature. Oedipus desire for knowledge can be looked from the standpoint of stubbornness. No matter his decisions, the god’s gift to Oedipus will lead him to the path given to him. ‘He can’t escape fate the gods gave to him neither can he escape the truth being told to him by the Oracles’. “Take me away, far, far from Thebes, quickly, cast me away, my friends; this great murderous ruin, this man cursed to heaven, the man the deathless gods hate most of all!” (Sophocles 1479). His stubbornness can’t accept the truth of the gods but he keeps pushing further and further leading to his downfall. There was nothing he could have done to change the prophecies of the gods, what is being said has already taken a toll upon him. Sophocles believed in both fate and free will, but even with the power of free will, a man has limitations as to the choices made. As Oedipus’s fate is already being determined by the gods, he goes against them and fate. What is being determined cannot be changed by actions and decisions. Oedipus’s rejection against his foretold fate, quick temperament, and rational decisions led to the path of his

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