Sovereignty, freewill, and fate are all in need of question when approaching the tale of Oedipus. These concepts play a major role in the outcome and the interpretation of the power of each character. Similarly, these three ideas need to be understood in a biblical frame of reference when reading the Bible and literature, such as Oedipus. These characteristics of God and people need to be evaluated and defined to see the similarities and differences between the legendary story of Oedipus and the work of God with mankind throughout history. When confronted with the conflict between sovereignty, in the context of David’s kingship, and fate, that is taking place in Oedipus, defining these terms is crucial to understanding the difference between …show more content…
Samuel, a prophet of God, anoints David to be the next king over the people of God (1 Samuel 16). As this anointment takes place this is the prophet showing that God has chosen David of all people to be the leader of the Israelites. This selection of David did not function in the same way as the oracle’s prophecy over Oedipus about his future. As David was selected and anointed by Samuel he then had responsibility to follow up this selection with obedience to receive the blessings of this kingship. On the other hand, Oedipus hears the oracle’s prophecy and runs. While Oedipus runs from the possibility of fulfilling this prophecy; yet still fulfills this prophecy, in doing so, showing that Oedipus had no choice in fulfilling the words of the oracle. David reacts differently to the words of Samuel by obediently following this calling by living a life worthy of such a calling. With this contrast in the reaction of the protagonist to his respective prophecy illustrates the difference between the sovereignty of God with the freewill of man and the work of fate on Oedipus. The contrast between the will of the protagonist and their reaction to the ruling divine power brings to light the inevitability of David’s …show more content…
The power of the work of God and the prophecies of His holy inspired prophets may not appear to be all powerful when man has an influence in the outcome, but this foresight of God simply appears different than that of the god’s of Oedipus. Fate in Oedipus appears to have no concern of the will or obedience of man, but actually thrives on the disbelief of man. Inevitability seems to be the case in God’s sovereignty and the fate of Oedipus, but belief is the dividing power the rules over the difference between the means that brings about the end result. With this understanding, fate is weak because if the system worked as intended, and the followers of these gods truly believed, then the system would fail and crumble. Whereas the sovereignty of God works with the fallen nature of man, but also with his capability of obeying and following the call of God. This gives the prophecy of YHWH’s prophets power in changing the situation of their surrounding for the betterment of
Humans go through life fearing what struggles they may face, instead of taking control over their problems. In Mythology by Edith Hamilton, the Greek warriors took control over every struggle that came before them. Oedipus did his best to avoid his fate. Achilles knew the prophecy that was put in place for him. Odysseus’s biggest struggle would be his journey home. Hercules’s greatest task would be not letting his strength get the best of him. In Greek mythology, the journeys represented the internal struggles and eventual perseverance of mortals.
Throughout Greek literature, fate has been an influential piece in the plot of many Greek pieces. In Oedipus The King, Oedipus, King of Thebes, knows his prophecy, in which he is to kill his father and marry his mother. He was sent away to be killed by his parents, but he was saved by a servant and became the son of the King and Queen of Corinth. When he learns of his prophecy, he decides to flee Corinth, to not bring pain to his parents. Oedipus believes he is able to disrupt his fate, but fate is set and cannot be changed. From other Greek literature like the Odyssey, gods manipulate the character, but eventually, the outcome is the same. In Oedipus The King, Oedipus’ peripeteia is when Teiresias is summoned, once Teiresias speaks the truth,
that their son would kill his father and marry his mother (page 56). A son was
The ancient Greeks were fond believers of Fate. Fate, defined according to Webster’s, is “the principle or determining cause or will by which things in general are believed to come to be as they are or events to happen as the do.” The Greeks take on Fate was slightly modified. They believed that the gods determined Fate: “…fate, to which in a mysterious way the gods themselves were subject, was an impersonal force decreeing ultimate things only, and unconcerned with day by day affairs.” It was thought that these gods worked in subtle ways; this accounts for character flaws (called harmatia in Greek). Ancient Greeks thought the gods would alter a person’s character, in order for that person to suffer (or gain from) the appropriate outcome. Such was the case in Oedipus’s story.
Later on, Oedipus ‘role as a ruler over Thebes is compared to a ship’s captain as is stated in the following verses:
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...
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.
A vital subject in the play Oedipus the King is the relation between the characters action and fate. Oedipus had the choice to either let destiny play its course, but as seen in the play Oedipus’s chooses his own downfall, he choose free will. His persistence to uncover the truth about his past and his identity are substantial. Fate on the other hand is accountable for many other important and disturbing events in the play one being responsible for Oedipus marring his own mother. Sophocles clearly suggests that both fate and one’s action works hand on hand, it is clear and becomes difficult to judge Oedipus for incest given his unawareness.
In Ancient Greece the existence of gods and fate prevailed. In the Greek tragedy King Oedipus by the playwright Sophocles these topics are heavily involved. We receive a clear insight into their roles in the play such as they both control man's actions and that challenging their authority leads to a fall.
Oedipus is a man of unflagging determination and perseverance, but one who must learn through the working out of a terrible prophecy that there are forces beyond any man’s conceptualization or control. Oedipus’ actions were determined before his birth, yet Oedipus’ actions are entirely determined by the Gods who control him completely. In the beginning of this tragedy, Oedipus took many actions leading to his own downfall. He tried to escape Corinth when he learned of the prophecies that were supposed to take place in his life. Instead, he fell right into the trap of the prediction by unwittingly killing his father and later marrying his mother. By doing this, he proved that his life was predetermined by fate and there was nothing he could do to change it. He could have waited for the plague to end, but out of compassion for his suffering people, he had Creon go to Delphi to plead before Apollo to relieve the curse of the plague. Instead of investigating the murder of the former King Lauis, Oedipus took matters into his own hands and cursed the murderer, now the curse would effect him as well, because he was the one who killed Lauis.. “Now my cursed on the murderer,/Whoever he is, alone man unknown in his crime or one among many, let that man drag out his life in agony, step ...
The myth of Oedipus is one of a man brought down by forces aligning against him. Over the years, different playwrights have interpreted his character in various fashions. In Sophocles’ Oedipus the King, Oedipus is a man who is blind to the path on which his questions take him and exemplifies the typical tyrannical leader in ancient times; in Senaca’s Oedipus, it is the fear of his questions that give Oedipus a greater depth of character, a depth he must overcome if he is to survive his ordeal.
For Oedipus, prophecy is not the main source of his fall towards society; rather, his hubris blinds himself from recognizing his personal sin in the world, thus leading to his demise. Sophocles even skillfully uses a metaphor through the words “ as led by a guide” to further explain the “supernatural being” that ultimately decides the tragic fate of the family of Oedipus. In addition, through the death of Jocasta, the reader is immediately attuned of Oedipus’ raging moment of violence and will be petrified by the overwhelming power of the gods, thus realizing the importance of being cautious before making a final choice. Indeed, after an individual settles on a decision, the gods take control of the person’s fate, hurling numerous consequences to him if he makes the wrong decision. Moreover, as Oedipus suddenly becomes the unintended victim of the gods through his sinful decision to execute Laius, he is forced to relinquish his predominate impetus for pridefulness in exchange for a heart of deep realization and forgiveness. At the end of the play, Oedipus sacrifices everything in order to remove his guilt through the consequences of his atrocious actions witnessed by the gods. After Oedipus realizes the astringent fate he was destined to encounter through his sinful murder of Laius, he immediately attempts to take responsibility for his
Oedipus was unknowingly set down the path towards impending doom by the Gods at an early young age, and perhaps one could venture as far as to say that his destiny was written before he was born into this world. He was sent away from Thebes by King Laius and Queen Jocasta - his true parents - and was raised by the king and queen of Corinth. The truth of this arrangement was concealed from Oedipus. He was then later told by a prophet that he was destined to “mate with [his] own mother, and shed with [his] own hands the blood of [his] own [father],” Oedipus inadvertently fulfils the final half of this prophecy while leaving Corinth with the intention of avoiding this realisation. He meets the King Laius, of Thebes, at a crossroads. Whether out of pride or a simple argument, Oedipus ultimately commits an act of unknowing patricide over who had the right of way. Being unawar...
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.
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.