Destiny, Fate, Free Will and Free Choice in Oedipus the King - The Fate of Oedipus
analytical Essay
1223 words
The Fate of Oedipus in Oedipus the King
In "Oedipus the King" there comes a point in the play where Oedipus
learns something that plays an important role throughout the play. He
learns from a oracle that he will eventually kill his own Father and sleep
with his own mother. As one could imagine this is a shock to Oedipus, and
he does not believe the oracle. However, he cannot prevent any of this
from happening because it is his fate. Oedipus is a victim of circumstances
beyond his control, his life had already been planned by the Greek Gods.
Throughout the whole play there are references made to many of the
ancient Greek Gods, for example, Apollo, Zeus, Dionysis, and Artemis are
discussed quite often. In ancient Greece the people believed that if
anything happened one of the god's had a reason for it. Each god was
related to one specific thing like Poseidon being the god of the sea. They
thought that if there was a tidal wave or a hurricane it was because
Poseidon was angry at them. This is the basis for my assumption that
Oedipus had no control over his fate.
First of all, when Oedipus is just a baby his father, King Laius of
Thebes, is told in an oracle that his own son will kill him. So, with the
agreement of his wife, Jocasta, the baby's feet are pinioned, and it's
given to a slave who is supposed to leave it to die on Mt. Cithaeron.
However, the slave feels sorry for the baby, and gives it to a fellow
shepherd from Corinth. The shepherd from Corinth presented the baby to the
childless King of Corinth, who is Polybus, and he brings him up as his own.
He gives him the name Oedipus, whi...
... middle of paper ...
...d emotions of all
the characters in the play. While doing so Oedipus could in no way control
his own fate. The god's mislead him, and did not allow him to keep from
his destiny. Oedipus was indeed a victim. A victim of circumstances
beyond his control, and it just goes to show that it is impossible for
someone to escape their own fate.
Works cited and Consulted:
Murray, Robert D. Jr. "Sophocles' Moral Themes." In Readings on Sophocles, edited by Don Nardo. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, 1997.
"Sophocles" In Literature of the Western World, edited by Brian Wilkie and James Hurt. NewYork: Macmillan Publishing Co., 1984.
Sophocles. Oedipus Rex. Transl. by F. Storr. no pag.
http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/etcbin/browse-mixed new?tag=public&images=images/modeng&data=/texts/english/modeng/parsed&part=0&id=SopOedi
In this essay, the author
- Opines that oedipus' shock at his mother's death is a shock to him.
- Explains that thebes is told in an oracle that his own son will kill him.
- Explains that the slave is supposed to leave it to die on mt. cithaeron.
- Describes the childless king of corinth, polybus, who brings him up as his own.
- Explains that the boy had no way to control what his parents did to him after he was born.
- Analyzes how she tells a story of how her and laius were told by one.
- Analyzes how the man remembers that he killed a man and wonders if it was intentional.
- Explains that this witness to be found so that his fears can be laid to rest.
- Opines that laius was the witness to his murder.
- Argues that he should be left to die on mt. cithaeron just as the gods intended.
- Analyzes how the god's mislead him, and did not allow him to keep from his own fate.
- Narrates how polybus, the king of thebes, meets an old man driving a wagon of slaves.
- Analyzes how he tells oedipus that the baby was given to him by jocasta to be killed, and that it was passed on to the corinthian out of pity.
- Describes murray, robert d. jr.'s "sophocles' moral themes" and wilkie, brian, and hurt.
Related
- analytical
- The Power of Fate in Oedipus the King The concept of fate has existed since the time of the ancient Greeks. The Greeks believed very strongly in fate, which can be defined as either a power beyond human control that determines events, or the outcome or end. In "Oedipus Rex," King Oedipus lives and dies by fate. Fate influences the entire plot, thereby allowing for some interesting developments that may be unpredictable to the audience.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes the power of fate in oedipus the king. the greeks believed strongly in fate, which can be defined as a power beyond human control that determines events, or the outcome or end.
- Explains that in sophocles' "oedipus rex", fate is a huge factor in many scenes and events. every event that ever happened was predetermined and unchangeable.
- Narrates how oedipus unwittingly killed his father, and the sphinx, who posed a riddle for him, destroyed her, freeing thebes.
- Analyzes how oedipus and laius were affected by the workings of fate, and jocasta was influenced by fate.
- Analyzes how oedipus was fated by events beyond his control, but also by excessive hubris and pride. he was too proud to accept the fact that he could not avoid his fate.
- Analyzes how oedipus brought corruption and curses upon the city of thebes because it was his foretold fate to do so. if one studies the ancient greek philosophy, one might infer that there is no such thing as free will.
- Explains that fate affects the fat and thin, the stupid and smart, and the rich and poor. tuminas believes that there is no such thing as free will, because everyone is fated to suffer or enjoy according to fate.
- Analyzes how fate plays a tremendous role in shaping the plot and defining the very legend of oedipus.
- Analyzes how fate plays an important role in shaping the plot and storyline in sophocles' play "oedipus rex".
- Cites abrams, m. h., elsom, john, ehrenberg, victor, and fagles.
1069 wordsRead More - The Role of Fate in Oedipus the King In Oedipus the King, one can easily see the tragedy that comes when Oedipus lives out fate, although not of his own intentions. Oedipus did everything in his own power in order to keep the prophecies from being fulfilled. One might even say that Oedipus ran from fate. Webster defines tragedy as "a medieval narrative poem or tale typically describing the downfall of a great man".
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes the role of fate in oedipus the king, stating that it is difficult to see him as a "bad" man. he made some poor choices but most of his "sins" were out of ignorance.
- Analyzes how oedipus is surrounded by two crucial figures from his nebulous past. he owes his sufferings, past, present, and future.
- Analyzes how oedipus chose to blind himself when he learned the truth of his ancestry, leaving home to protect his birth father.
- Opines that the people of thebes could see the sadness in the downfall of oedipus.
647 wordsRead More - Oedipus Rex – The Womenanalytical essay...s of the Antigone.” In Sophocles: A Collection of Critical Essays, edited by Thomas Woodard. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1966.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how sophocles draws out an ongoing contrast between the "godlike mastery" of the king and the more balanced and selfless characteristics of jocasta, his wife.
- Analyzes how creon's mastery of the situation prevents him from glimpsing the truth. he expresses deep feelings of regret and disclaims all pretensions to be sole ruler.
- Analyzes how jocasta defuses the tense situation with her feminine directive to both parties in the argument.
- Analyzes how jocasta intervenes in sophocles: the theban play to bring to the play a note of serenity.
- Analyzes how jocasta appeals to oedipus to drop the charges, and the chorus joins her in her request.
- Analyzes how jocasta, as a peacemaker and judge, seeks to get to the bottom of the quarrel.
- Analyzes how jocasta, as formerly laius’ wife, is knowledgeable of the intimate details of an oracle's prediction regarding laeus' death at the hands of his own son.
- Opines that if only oedipus had heeded jocasta's words, he would have been spared so much agony.
- Analyzes how jocasta's information is crucial to the plot, and it shows her indispensibility.
- Analyzes how creon has sobbing girls led in, characters without speaking roles, and oedipus expresses his empathy with them for the coming years.
- Analyzes how creon's final words to oedipus touch on the moral or message of the drama.
- Analyzes how segal in oedipus tyrannus: tragic heroism and the limits of knowledge explains the protagonist's concern for jocasta’s burial.
- Analyzes how jocasta retains the composure of a loving, generous wife during the lengthy interrogation.
- Analyzes the impact of jocasta's presence during the debriefing in "sophocles' invention of the third actor widened the scope of drama."
- Introduces oedipus in twentieth century interpretations, edited by michael j. o'brien, in readings on sophocles.
- Introduces e. f. watling in sophocles: the theban plays, edited by brian wilkie and james hurt.
2720 wordsRead More - Antigone Deserves More Sympathy than Creonanalytical essayMurray, Robert D. Jr. "Sophocles Moral Themes." In Readings on Sophocles, edited by Don Nardo. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, 1997.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how the hero who is left in agony at the end of the play, unlike the oedipus tyrannus, is not the title role, but king creon, the newly appointed and tyrannical ruler.
- Analyzes how the new king creon deals with the dead traitor polynices, brother of antigone, from the perspective of a 5th century athenian, watching this play.
- Analyzes how creon's despotic and forceful control over his new city can not have been received well. the right to free speech was a basic principle of athenian democracy and was attacked by the enemies of democracy, oligarchs and tyrants.
- Analyzes how creon's edict is contrary to the gods' laws on burial and he has the arrogance to decide what the gods must believe.
- Analyzes creon's behaviour in his own eyes and the dishonourable actions of antigone to strengthen his case.
- Analyzes how antigone, despite her conduct to her sister, is a loving and passionate person. the pathos from the scene is vivid and contrasts with the harsh words of creon.
- Analyzes how sophocles isolates the girl and extracts pathos from both of them one by one, revealing the unrepresentative nature of the chorus.
- Analyzes how antigone has a death wish and lust for glory. she resigns herself to death before she hears creon's decision, and is outraged when ismene tries to share it with her.
- Analyzes how creon's climactic fall from grace is even more painful by the fact that he is left to live in an empty palace.
- Analyzes how creon's 'hamartia' is that he is too stubborn to change his decision. antigone is doomed by her death wish and lust for glory but she rushed into death head on.
- Explains murray, robert d. jr., and nardo's readings on sophocles.
- Explains segal, charles paul, in sophocles: a collection of critical essays, edited by thomas woodard.
- Introduces woodard, thomas, in sophocles: a collection of critical essays.
2545 wordsRead More - Significance of the Women in Oedipus Rexanalytical essaySegal, Charles Paul. “Sophocles’ Praise of Man and the Conflicts of the Antigone.” In Sophocles: A Collection of Critical Essays, edited by Thomas Woodard. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1966.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how michael j. o'brien in the introduction to twentieth century interpretations of oedipus rex maintains that the fifth century playwright was the "educator of his people" and a "teacher."
- Analyzes how sophocles draws out an ongoing contrast between the "godlike mastery" of the king and the more balanced and selfless characteristics of jocasta, his wife.
- Analyzes how creon's mastery of the situation prevents him from glimpsing the truth. he expresses deep feelings of regret and disclaims all pretensions to be sole ruler.
- Analyzes how jocasta defuses the tense situation with her feminine directive to both parties in the argument.
- Analyzes how jocasta intervenes in sophocles: the theban play to bring to the play a note of serenity.
- Analyzes how jocasta appeals to oedipus to drop the charges, and the chorus joins her in her request.
- Analyzes how jocasta, as a peacemaker and judge, seeks to get to the bottom of the quarrel.
- Analyzes how jocasta, as formerly laius’ wife, is knowledgeable of the intimate details of an oracle's prediction regarding laeus' death at the hands of his own son.
- Opines that if only oedipus had heeded jocasta's words, he would have been spared so much agony.
- Analyzes how jocasta's information is crucial to the plot, and it shows her indispensibility.
- Analyzes how creon has sobbing girls led in, characters without speaking roles, and oedipus expresses his empathy with them for the coming years.
- Analyzes how creon's final words to oedipus touch on the moral or message of the drama.
- Analyzes how jocasta retains the composure of a loving, generous wife during the lengthy interrogation.
- Analyzes the impact of jocasta's presence during the debriefing in "sophocles' invention of the third actor widened the scope of drama."
- Introduces oedipus in twentieth century interpretations of the third actor, edited by michael j. o'brien, in readings on sophocles.
- Introduces e. f. watling in sophocles: the theban plays, edited by brian wilkie and james hurt.
2627 wordsRead More - How does Ignorance and Pride Play a Part in Man’s Destruction?analytical essaySophocles. Oedipus the King. Trans. Robert Fagles. The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces. Ed. Maynard Mack et al. 6th ed. Vol. 1. New York: Norton, 1992.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how the texts of aeneid, antigone, oedipus the king, creon, the trojan people, hector, achilles, etc., illustrate how pride, lack of empathy, and ignorance lead to the destruction of man.
- Analyzes how pride leads to deception and broken relationships within family members. creon's human flaws and arrogance lead to his ultimate downfall.
- Analyzes how hector, the leader of the trojan, is characterized by his cowardice. he ignores good advice from his loved ones due to his pride and ignorance.
- Analyzes how creon's actions are a result of his fatal flaws and his fear of losing power as king.
- Analyzes how pride leads to bad decision making. oedipus is a wise and noble ruler who sacrifices everything for the sake of his city.
- Explains goldwyn's "a literary history of the trojan war from antiquity to the middle ages." ahrensdorf, peter j. the limits of political rationalism.
1688 wordsRead More - Oedipus the King and Mason’s Shilohanalytical essaySophocles. Oedipus the King. Discovering Literature: Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Eds. Hans P. Guth and Gabriele L. Rico. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1993.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how "shiloh," written by bobbie ann mason, and "oedipus the king," contain very different story lines but jointly have one unique quality, the role of the woman.
- Analyzes how norma jean and jocasta fight against marriage and fate in "shiloh."
- Analyzes how both norma jean and jocasta believe that they have defeated their obstacles.
- Opines that jocasta doesn't realize that both of her presumptions are false; her son, oedipus, did not die, and he has killed his father. once she finds out the truth, she will realize how strong she is.
- Analyzes how norma jean and jocasta commit suicide because they realize that they are not strong enough to overcome their problems.
- Analyzes how norma jean and jocasta try to battle life using inner-strength. whether or not death was the right choice, this choice was made by both characters.
922 wordsRead More - A Comparison of Creon of Antigone and Jason of Medeaanalytical essayWoodard, Thomas. Introduction. In Sophocles: A Collection of Critical Essays, edited by Thomas Woodard. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1966.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how both of these male characters fall prey to the actions of a woman, one whom they both originally thought they had complete control over. the issue is whether stronger people than jason or antigone could have avoided the destruction and were crushed by their internal weakness.
- Analyzes how the gods cause creon's destruction, acting in a just and logical way to the blasphemous deeds he committed.
- Analyzes how jason, despite his unpleasant personality, does all we can expect of him in his taking of a new wife.
- Analyzes how jason's actions reflect his character. he married the princess glauce to build security for the children, but his manner doesn't reflect this.
- Analyzes how creon's actions in the antigone lead him to judge the blundering theban king harsher than jason.
- Analyzes how the stubborn tyrannus rebukes the prophet tiresias despite professing that he had "never wavered from your advice before" and is rushed to take action.
- Opines that jason is the far stronger character. his actions do not offend the gods or society it large, but they cause a far greater punishment that he deserves. creon, on the other hand, falls foul of his own actions.
- Explains segal, charles paul, in sophocles: a collection of critical essays, edited by thomas woodard.
- Explains euripides' "medea" and hamlyn's larousse encyclopedia of mythology.
- Introduces woodard's "sophocles" in literature of the western world, edited by brian wilkie and james hurt.
1953 wordsRead More - Hope in Oedipus at Colonusanalytical essaySophocles: A collection of critical essays edited by Thomas Woodward: Oedipus at Colonus. Whitman, Cedric H. Prentice-Hall, Inc. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. 1966.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how the greek tragedy oedipus at colonus was written by the renowned greek playwright sophocles around 404 b.c.
- Opines that it would be hard to think of any suffering more overwhelming than the suffering endured by oedipus.
- Compares oedipus and colonus, a beautiful city governed by king theseus. the furies dwell in the cities, punishing those who commit severe sins.
- Analyzes how oedipus' dress is significant in his mark of hope and he is the protagonist because sophocles staged his men as beggared kings and heroes in rags to express the supremacy of man's inner divinity.
- Analyzes how oedipus at colonus is an action-oriented hero, although his triumph has halted years back.
- Analyzes how sophocles made oedipus a sign of hope for seneca, who began writing tragedies of that stature.
- Analyzes how oedipus is an icon for all hope because of his interaction with the king of athens/colonus, king theseus.
- Explains that oedipus offers the gift of desecration of his body. he must be put in the grave of the city where he chooses to die.
- Explains that when oedipus was blinded, theseus vowed to protect him and never let anyone take him away against his will.
- Analyzes how sophocles uses that oedipus is a sign of hope and that theseus believes in his hopes and desires.
- Analyzes how sophocles constructed scenes to get the most out of the ironic contrast between appearance and reality in oedipus at colonus.
- Analyzes how oedipus is a depiction of hope, not only in colonus but also in the king. he is an honest and loyal man who suffers great damage.
- Describes fitzgerald's readings on sophocles: oedipus at colonus.
- Explains o'brien, michael j. twentieth century interpretations of oedipus rex. prentice-hall, inc.
- Explains roche, paul, the oedipus plays of sophocles. the new english library limited, london, and scarborough, ontario, 1958.
- Describes sophocles' the three theban plays: antigone, oedipus the king, and colonus.
- Explains sophocles: a collection of critical essays edited by thomas woodward. whitman, cedric h. prentice-hall, englewood cliffs, new jersey.
2213 wordsRead More - Fate against Free will in Oedipus the King by Sophoclesanalytical essayThe purpose of this essay is to demonstrate that the events in Oedipus the King, written by Sophocles, are the result of the hero’s self determination and restless attempt to escape a terrifying destiny predicted for him by the oracle of Apollo at Delphi. My intention is to prove that although the Fates play a crucial part in the story, it is Oedipus'choices and wrong doing that ultimately lead to his downfall.
In this essay, the author
- Explains dodds, e.r., "on misunderstanding the oedipus rex." greece & rome, second series 13.1 (1996): 37-49.
- Argues that the events in oedipus the king are the result of the hero's self determination and restless attempt to escape a terrifying destiny predicted for him by the oracle of apollo at delphi.
- Analyzes how the king's search for the truth is driven by his ignorance of it. socrates believed that humans can rule themselves with fate and free will.
- Analyzes how the greek playwright supported the thesis that human beings can exercise free will by blending together in one play such opposite ideas.
- Opines that oedipus is the one to blame for his actions, not the gods.
- Opines that aristotele believes that oedipus brings it all on to himself because he is blinded by personal pride. the great philosophers regards the play as the perfect tragedy where a good and honest man reaches his ultimate downfall.
- Cites driver, tom f., corrigan, nagle, brendan, eppley, george, and jevons, frank.
1229 wordsRead More