In the play Oedipus Rex, it shows many different forms of fate and freewill. Fate is a word that can be defined in many different ways. Fate can affect a person's life in many different ways. Oedipus's fate ruined his life and lead him to a horrible death. Antigone's life was also thrown out to the hand of fate. Neither one of them had any freewill in there lifetime, all of there lives were based upon the fate that the gods handed to them. Both of these elements, fate and freewill, play a large role in the telling of the story of Oedipus Rex. Was his life really left to fate or was it left up to him? In most tragic plays fate and freewill play a large role in the rise and fall of the protagonist. The protagonist in a play has to either cause the fault by his own freewill or by fate causing it. Without this there would be no fall of the protagonist in a tragic play. Ignorance of a protagonist can lead to a fall do to a mistake done by there own free will. Fate can cause the fall of a protagonist without there consent or there control. The fate of a protagonist leads to a much more horrible conclusion then the mistake of a tragic protagonist do to there own freewill. Oedipus was born with a horrible prophecy told to his parents which led his parents to believe that Oedipus would kill his father and marry his mother. They soon had Oedipus taken up to a mountain, to leave him there to die. A shepherd saved his life and raised him, Oedipus soon went back to Thebes were he was born. Oedipus believed that he was traveling away from his home town, he soon found himself at a road where three corners met. There he murdered his father without knowing it was his father. He soon then traveled to Thebes and then he... ... middle of paper ... ...that what they just did was suppose to happen and that they did not cause it by three own free will. Fate and freewill are mysterious of life that may never be solved. The conventions fate and freewill will always be needed to complete a tragic story, along with being needed for a tragic people will always have these conventions controlling there lives. These are very important aspects to ancient Greek Tragedies. Without these conventions in Greek Tragedies there would be no suspense or action to build up to the climax. These same reasons apply to fate and freewill in life, without these to aspects to bring people challenges and obstacles what would be the reason for living life. Due to all of this that is the reason why for many years to come people will always wonder wither they control there lives or if they are just living a already told story.
“It lies not in our power to love, or hate, for will in us is over-rul'd by fate.” In William Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet, it is clear that the leading theme is fate, as it is mentioned several times. Shakespeare allows the audience to see everything that happens “behind closed doors.” While some characters’ actions did affect the outcome of the play, fate is the ruling force.
Some people may not believe that fate is something that truthfully exists in the world. This portion of the population doubts that there is anything that is actually meant to be or supposed to happen thinking that there is always a way around troubling predicaments, knowing that it isn't necessary to turn out just one certain way. They trust that whatever occurs in their lives comes as a result of the decisions that they make with their own free will. Others, however, believe that whatever happens during the course of their lives is inevitable and every event predestined and laid out before them like a roadmap to life; in other words, fate. William Shakespeare's play, Romeo and Juliet has fate as an exceptionally crucial force, pulling the characters into a more animated state. Because of fate, the play becomes tremendously thrilling and it is exactly what manages the two young lovers to meet each other in the first place. The moment that Romeo and Juliet meet is the exact incident that leads to their death, however unaware these "star-crossed lovers" are to that fact. Thus, fate is undoubtedly the most responsible influence for the couple's heartbreaking tragedy.
In Oedipus the King, Oedipus is told that he will marry his mother and murder his father. He is told by the Delphic oracle this information but he wants to change his fate so he banishes himself from what he believes is place of birth. As he is wondering, he stumbles across a caravan. After some arguing, due to his hubris, he kills all the men in the caravan. One of the men in the caravan turned out to be his father, King Laios. Oedipus at the time did not know this. He then entered the city of Thebes and broke the plague of the sphinx by solving its riddle. Because of this he was awarded the recently widowed Queen Iocaste, who is actually his mother. He married Iocaste and had children with her.
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...
At the beginning of the tragedy, Oedipus was made aware of his destiny. Immediately after receiving the news, Oedipus fled Corinth and headed for Thebes thinking he could escape his fate. Unknowingly, Oedipus had just begun to walk the path that led to his downfall. Shortly after, he killed his father Laius and later married his mother Jocasta. These actions proved that his life was predetermined by fate and that he was unable to change it. Years later, Oedipus is informed of the plague that has struck Thebes, and is asked to help in the matter. Oedipus could have waited for the plague to end, but feeling pity for his suffering people, he sent Creon to Delphi where he was to plead before Apollo to relie...
In every Shakespearean tragedy there is always something called the “fatal flaw”. This flaw is seen in the main character or hero of the play. The hero always has the ability to overcome or control this flaw, however, if he can not control this flaw he reaches a point of doom. A point in the story where he has no choice but to continue downward through the spire of entropy. This leads to the tragedy. His or her end. The flaw is usually a master passion. This passion controls the hero’s thoughts and actions, and, if unable to control this passion it will lead to his doom.
In Sophocles ' Oedipus the King, the themes of fate and free will are very strong throughout the play. Only one, however, brought about Oedipus ' downfall and death. Both points could be argued to great effect. In ancient Greece, fate was considered to be a rudimentary part of daily life. Every aspect of life depended and was based upon fate (Nagle 100). It is common belief to assume that mankind does indeed have free will and each individual can decide the outcome of his or her life. Fate and free will both decide the fate of Oedipus the King.
Fate is non-existent as one's future is based upon their own personal decisions. It is believing
In this class one key point kept coming up in the readings for me, and that was fate. Fate is an idea that nothing you do will change your final out come in life. Are we able to truly have free will in the way we live and die? Or is it fate and our life’s outcome is out of our control? Is the characters desire to go against fate what truly lead them to this path? In the readings I was never able to say either way but I lean in favor of fate. My three examples of this are the charters Loki, Odin and Oedipus. These three are said to have been fated on how they live, die and even kill in a way that is predestined.
...ir own storyline of life, a life that already has a written ending and that is destine already to you. By the end of the play the audience is left with two facts, Oedipus fate is destine for downfall, and indeed Oedipus does fulfill his destiny. Nevertheless, the truth of the situation is that the path in which Oedipus’ ultimately takes is what leads him to fulfill the prophecy. If the audience choose to see the play from this prospective, then Oedipus’ the king will become much more significant, by doing so, giving the play a far better interpretation. Although Sophocles never clearly mentions in the play that Oedipus fate is due to his poor choices, the suggestion of the storyline is full with indication that the only person responsible for his own fate is Oedipus himself. Through his play Oedipus the King, Sophocles demonstrates to his audience the outcome of
Prior to the birth of Oedipus, a prophecy was spoken over Laius and his wife Jocasta. They were told that their son would one day be his father’s killer and would then marry his mother. In fear, King Laius and Queen Jocasta sent the baby Oedipus off with a slave to be killed. He was never killed, but rather was given to a childless king and queen which lovingly raised him. Oedipus was never factually told about his lineage. Later in his life, Oedipus was confronted by several unknown men while traveling. Upon confrontation, Oedipus killed all but one of the men in self defense. Unknowingly, Oedipus had begun to fulfill the prophecy for one of the men had been his birth father, Laius.
Oedipus The King, by Sophocles, is a play about how Oedipus lives up his fate that he will kill his father and marry his mother, both of which are extremely bad in the Greek society, even though he thinks he is getting away from it. Despite the Greek notions of supreme power of the gods and fate, Oedipus' downfall is primarily the result of King Laius' and his own actions and attempts to defy the gods, consequently Sophocles says that prophecies from the gods of someone's fate should not be ignored. Prophecies from the Oracle of Delphi are told to King Laius and Queen Jocasta, and to Oedipus.
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.
Oedipus was a victime of fate, his futur was foretold by an Oracle, he had no way of knowing that his wife was his mother nor that the stranger he killed was his father. Oedipus could not prevent his own downfall. Oedipus was the king of Thebes, he became king when he cured the city of a deadly plague. He cured the plague by solving the riddle of the mythical creature, the Sphinkx. Now the city is suffering from another plague and as king Oedipus must solve the riddle of this one.
What Oedipus did not know, was that the people he thought where his parents and ran away from, were just his adoptive parents. So if he had not have...