Fate Versus Free Will In Oedipus The King

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Recommended: Fate and freedom of oedipus

Sabrina Sikder

Professor Thomason

English 1102

18 July 2017

Fate versus Free Will

The downfall of mankind is an integral part of comprehending human nature. Every tragedy requires a hero with a tragic flaw that, most likely, unconsciously leads into the hero's downfall. The protagonist being human makes the character relatable and even more pitiable because the audience is aware that the protagonist's inevitable undoing is yet to come. The protagonist's tragic flaw not only harms the protagonist, but harms others in the story as well. Drama's such as "Oedipus the King" by Sophocles is a prime example of a character with a tragic flaw that leads to his own undoing. In this story, the character's tragic flaw is pride, which leads him to discover the truth behind his past and thus spurring on hopeless attempts to evade his inevitable fate and bringing harm to himself and others in the drama. It illustrates the dramatic irony of the futility of evading fate to the audience and the danger of excessive pride, hubris. …show more content…

First, he accuses others for his predicament, even though it is Oedipus himself that carried out the killing of his father, which led to his marriage to Jocasta, his mother. Proving even more so that free will, no matter how "free" one perceives it to be, is doomed from the start and one cannot avoid fate. His tragic flaw of pride has a great deal to do with his fate because he was trying to construe a free will but fate and his pride prevented him from doing so. In conclusion, the dramatic irony that unfolds is the most important component of the play, which establishes suspense and therefore helps to bring the truth to light and in doing so one realizes that fate always has the upper

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