Oedipus Free Will Research Paper

Sometimes it feels as if humans have no control over their lives. It can feel as if an invisible puppeteer pulls the strings. This idea of free will and the lack of it appear often in literature throughout the course of history, especially during the Greco-Roman era. Ancient writers such as Sophocles and Aristotle attempted to tackle the idea of fate and how the gods worked their will in everyday life. Many writers connected destiny with blindness. The seers and prophets were often blind but could see the future while those with functioning eyes were lost in the world. The issue of free will against fate dominates the text of Oedipus the King and Oedipus at Colonus; however, instead of having control over his destiny, Oedipus is blind to his

Forsaken by a prophecy given before his birth, Oedipus cannot avoid his destiny no matter what he tries to do. The mighty king of Thebes does everything in his power to outrun the cruel hand of fate, but he is unable to escape the infallible plan that the gods laid out for him. Eventually, he is exposed for the terrible deeds he unknowingly committed saying, “I stand revealed at last— / cursed in my birth, cursed in marriage, / cursed in the lives I cut down with these hands!” (Sophocles, Oedipus the King 1308-1310). Oedipus ran away from home so that he would not fulfill the prophecy of his doom; however, his fate could not be changed and he runs directly towards the doom he is trying to avoid. With no control over what his fate hold, Oedipus proclaims, “My destiny, my dark power, what a leap you made!” (Sophocles, Oedipus the King 1447). Fate is out of reach of the human hands of Oedipus. Tragically, he can do nothing about his destination; the date of his downfall has already been set. No matter what he does “Oedipus cannot escape his fate… irrespective of his character, his tragedy is predetermined by the will of the gods” (Draper 1). Even later in the story at the point of his death, Oedipus is still under the will

Throughout the tale of Oedipus’ misfortune, it seems that those that are blind see the fate of those who have eyes to see. The blind prophet, Tiresias is the perfect example of this. When first called to meet Oedipus in Oedipus the King, he envisions the fall of the mighty king. Arguing with the king, he says, “You with your precious eyes, / you’re blind to the corruption of your life” (Sophocles, Oedipus the King 470-471). Reviled by the idea of a blind man telling him that he cannot see, Oedipus dismisses his advice. But Tiresias did in fact see Oedipus’ fate. As explained by Segal, “Tiresias, in his paradoxical vision-in-blindness, knows this truth but is reluctant to tell it” (5). Even though Tiresias was well trusted and called for by Oedipus himself, the king does not put any faith in him and cannot stop his own ruin; “[Oedipus] was at once the emblem of shrewd wisdom and utter blindness” (Whitman 1). Later in the story, Oedipus himself becomes blind and inherits the traits of Tiresias. He begins to see fate although he himself is blind. When Creon arrives to take him away to Thebes, Oedipus argues, “Now then, don’t I see the fate of Thebes / more vividly than you? Oh so much more” (Sophocles, Oedipus at Colonus 901-902). The old blind king can see what will happen to his home country better than the current ruler, Creon.