The Workings of Destiny, Fate, Free Will and Free Choice in Oedipus the King

677 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: oedipus and his fate

Fate in Oedipus Rex

Sophocles' tragic tale of Oedipus presents the reader with a very bleak view of mankind and the world in general. According to the story, every person is predestined to enact a role scripted by fate, a "mysterious power" that rules even the greatest of Greek gods (Hamilton, 27). In this tale, the source of this fate is not as clear as its function.

The first of many allusions to fate in Oedipus the King comes from the chorus, which calls upon the gods Athena, Artemis, and Phoebus (Apollo), "three averters of Fate," (Sophocles 163) to save Thebes. The phrase implied that the gods could help man avoid the dictates of fate, but that they cannot alter fate. Sharing the terrible facts of Laius' death, Teiresias tells Oedipus: "It is not fate that I should be your ruin, Apollo is enough; it is his care/to work this out" (Sophocles 376-378). The prophet's pronouncement links fate and Apollo, yet he suggest...

... middle of paper ...

... the Sphinx in its puzzling presence and ruthless punishment of the innocent. If Oedipus the King does not define fate, it aptly demonstrates its workings.

Works Cited:

Greene, David and Richmond Lattimore, Eds. Greek Tragedies. 2nd ed. Vol. 1. Chicago: U of Chicago P, 1991.

Hamilton, Edith. Mythology. New York: Penguin, 1969.

Sophocles. "Oedipus Rex." An Introduction to Literature, 11th ed.Eds. Sylvan Barnet, et al. New York: Longman, 1997.

Show More
Related

  • Oedipus the King: The Free Will of Oedipus

    352 Words  | 1 Pages

    Even though "fate" seems to determine Oedipus' life, he does, in fact, have a free will.

    Read More

  • Hospital Corporation of America

    1494 Words  | 3 Pages

    HCA, after following a conservative financial policy since its establishment, has entered the new decade preparing to make some changes in order to realign their financial strategy and capital structure. Since establishment, HCA has often been used as a measure for the entire proprietary hospital industry. Is it now time for the market to realign their expectations for the industry as a whole? HCA has target goals which need to be met in order to accomplish milestones in the future. The problem arises as to which area holds priority to the company. HCA must decide how the key components of their financial strategy and policy should my approached in order to meet their future goals.

    Read More

  • American Airlines Business Analysis

    1567 Words  | 4 Pages

    1- Issues The main issue of this case is the lack of profits of the airline industry, an industry that should be more than profitable due to the large amount of customers, the necessity of using airlines’ services and the high prices charged by most of these airlines. What we are going to deal with is, why is this happening? And how is American airlines dealing with this problem?. To be able to discuss how American airlines wants to regain profitability, we must identify and analyse different issues such as, the company’s background, the airline industry as a whole, the demand for air travel, the marketing strategies, the distribution systems, pricing policies etc.

    Read More

  • Apocalypse Now

    581 Words  | 2 Pages

    This film is such an important masterpiece in truly understanding just how gruesome and fear filled the Vietnam War was. Apocalypse Now is a film for not only people who lived during the War but also anyone who has ever wondered just what it would be like to be in one. The film uses horror to portray its point of how each second you were in Vietnam you were faced with death and terror. Coppola's use of camera angels, visual effects, and horror make this film one for the ages. It would be in anyone's best decision to take time and view this film with an appreciation of how good a job Coppola has done with his ability to impart desired emotions on his viewers. The film is brutal and chaotic at the same time, but it still is able to reach its audience in any decade with a form of reality and realness that only a film of this magnitude could acheive.

    Read More

  • Oedipus the King: Fate vs. Free Will

    577 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Oedipus the King, one of Sophocles’ most popular plays, Sophocles clearly depicts the Greek’s popular belief that fate will control a man’s life despite of man’s free will. Man was free to choose and was ultimately held responsible for his own actions. Throughout Oedipus the King, the concept of fate and free will plays an integral part in Oedipus' destruction.

    Read More

  • Boeing/Airbus Case Analysis

    1860 Words  | 4 Pages

    Alliance with Airbus: - May never be possible given their histories. Certainly isn’t good for the air travel industry.

    Read More

  • Oedipus: Fate vs. Free will

    1119 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Comparing Oedipus and Job

    1014 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Oedipus The King, Sophocles presents a view of life fixed by fate. This fate, predetermined by the gods, is the sole factor in deciding human destiny. Tiresias expresses his understanding of the unchangeable fate of Oedipus, laid out by the gods, as he argues with the King about revealing the truth of all the Theban troubles. When Oedipus, frustrated by the lack of cooperation, insults Tiresias, he responds "I pity you, flinging at me the very insults / each man here will fling at you so soon."(322) Even more telling of the fated existence of Sophocles' characters is Jocasta's revelation of prophecies given before Oedipus' birth which foretold all that the gods had in store, which had indeed come to pass (332).

    Read More

  • Ryanair Pest: European Airline Competition

    904 Words  | 2 Pages

    Capacity in Europe exceeds demand, which leads to rate wars, equalling lower yields for companies. Economically, alliances lead to a greater control on capacity, therefore reducing competition and increasing yields. Alliances also reduce the near term possibilities of airport expansion. By code sharing airlines are able to not only split costs but to offer services and enter markets, they might not be able to do on their own. This leads to less aircraft at airports, therefore less space is required, and is another way in gaining access to prime airports, which can expand further. Another factor is the cost of safety; alliances can share these additional costs on joint services. Globalisation has played part by making it easier for airlines across the world to join forces. Social These are strong from an employer staffing perspective. Airlines in alliance/code-share can reduce costs by utilising only one airline's staff. September 11th 2001, contributed to a major downturn in the airline industry, accelerated, and accentuated the current trend. It negatively affected consumer confidence and passenger numbers subsequently reduced. Passengers resorted to land substitutes or in business teleconferencing.

    Read More

  • Oedipus the King: Oedipus And The Gods

    2182 Words  | 5 Pages

    The idea of fate has existed for a long time and exists even today. Fate revolves around the idea that people's lives are predetermined and that no matter what is done it cannot be changed. With the gods it was used to explain events that seemed strange. Sophocles expands on this idea by introducing Oedipus' fate. The thought of fate is strong considering no matter how hard he struggles he still receives what was predetermined. As a baby he survived the elements on Mount Cithaeron. As Oedipus was destined to live, it shows the dominance of fate. Having fate play such a large part of the play is certainly an insight into the Greek's idea that fate controls us no matter how hard we struggle against it.

    Read More

  • Business Analysis: Lufthansa Airline

    2483 Words  | 5 Pages

    Lufthansa, one of the world’s biggest airliners, has divisions handing maintenance, catering and air cargo. Since the World War II the airline industry has never earned its cost of capital over the business cycle (Hitt, 2010). Most of the airline companies have either filed for bankruptcy or are being bailed out by their government. Lufthansa had also gone through these tough times, but had resurfaced to become one of the worlds most profitable airline company. The company adapted a transnational strategy, seeking to achieve both global efficiency and local responsiveness. Lufthansa’s monopoly in Germany came to a halt with the creating of the European Union. All the EU member countries become one regional and therefore the European competition became, an increasingly a local competition. Lufthansa created its regional Hubs, to cater for its domestic market. But the availability of substitutes such as bullet trains and the Euro tunnel, made is necessary for Lufthansa to create short traveling time, customizations and quality standards in the region to achieve a competitive advantage. But outside the EU there are no substitute to air travels as such all the flag carriers are competing in the market, the international airline industry is a highly competitive environment. A new force has also emerged in the world of air travel, in the form of three Gulf airlines with jumbo ambitions. Within a decade Dubai’s Emirates, Qatar Airways and Eithad from Abu Dhabi have between them carried the capacity of two hundred million passengers (Micheal, 2010). The company had to go global and therefore adopted the international corporate-level strategy, where Lufthansa will ope...

    Read More

  • Oedipus The King Fate Vs Free Will Essay

    1000 Words  | 2 Pages

    Words like destiny, fate, and predestination have a much meaning to people today, as countless people believe in it. On the other hand, the belief that a person controls his life has been established as an opposing belief. The book Oedipus the King, a Greek tragedy, written by Sophocles, examines this debate between fate and choice. Although some people argue that the tragedies that took place in Oedipus' life were destined to happen, the grim circumstances that surrounded Oedipus' life were the result of his own free will and the decisions he made about many of these circumstances.

    Read More

  • Destiny, Fate, Free Will and Free Choice in Oedipus the King - Power of Prophecy

    991 Words  | 2 Pages

    The underlying theme in Oedipus Rex is that fate is more powerful than free will. On this strong basis of fate, free will doesn't even exist. This was a popular belief among the ancient Greeks.  Fate may be accepted or denied by modern society, but in Oedipus's story, fate proves inevitable. In the play, Oedipus Rex, the characters Oedipus, Iocaste and Laios try to change fate.

    Read More

  • Competition Among Fast Food Chains

    1646 Words  | 4 Pages

    From marketing perspective, LOCATION for the fast food service to the potential customers is most important according to Maritz Marketing Research. The recent study showed the location has to be convenient. The analysis said that adults under the age of 65 prefer convenient location for their fast food. They need their service to be in “an arm distanced”, which means the convenient location helps customers save their time, traveling cost. For the fast food chain companies, locating the branches to reach customer becomes a positioning strategy.

    Read More

  • The Role of Fate in Oedipus Rex

    809 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Oedipus Rex, fate is something that unavoidably befalls two characters. The gods decide Oedipus and Jocasta’s fate even before they know it. Trying to avoid destiny is pointless because no matter what, it will catch up to you where ever you are. It is often thought that you can change your destiny, but in reality our fate was put into action the day we were born.

    Read More

More about The Workings of Destiny, Fate, Free Will and Free Choice in Oedipus the King

Open Document