Analysis Of The Catastrophe Of Oedipus

The Catastrophe of Oedipus In the play, Oedipus Tyrannus, Sophocles, illustrates how fate and free will could determine one 's destiny. Sophocles is a well-known tragedian who wrote more than one-hundred Greek dramas for Greek festivals. While his plays entertained countless people in Greek carnivals in his plays also made his intended audience to become acquainted with Athens’ government, social forms as well as its’ religion. In this play the main character, Oedipus, is represented as a man of sudden action, honest, and great insight. Oedipus unintentionally had fulfilled his own fate, stating that he will kill his father and marry his mother. While both fate and free will had resulted in Oedipus’ fate, the choices Oedipus made in his own

This illustrates one of the qualities that make Oedipus an admirable leader. The rising action of this play occurred when Creon returned from the oracle with the news that the plague in Thebes will end when the murder of Laius, the King of Thebes before Oedipus, is found and driven out of Thebes. In some parts of the play Oedipus’ investigation of the murder of Laius has turned into an obsessive investigation into his own hidden past as he begins to suspect that he is the man responsible for King Laius death and the plague that has attacked Thebes. By his own free will, Oedipus pushed the oracle, the Shepard, Jocasta, Tiresias, and Creon to inform him regarding him about his origin. No matter how much other characters refused to inform him, Oedipus keeps moving onward. The falling action of this play occurred when Oedipus’ suspicion turned into reality. Through his investigation of the murder of Laius, Oedipus discovers that King Laius and Queen Jocasta of Thebes, where his birth parents, and the prophecy that was given to him when he was an infant. His strong desire for seeking the truth and knowledge has led Oedipus to his

One event that directly led Oedipus to his fate was at the crossroads where Oedipus killed his biological father unknowingly. If Oedipus has acted wiser when King Laius struck him to move out of the road, Oedipus may have successfully avoided his fate. Oedipus also could have avoided marrying his mother, if he never went to Thebes or defeated the Sphinx by answering the Sphinx’s riddle correctly. Oedipus did have the ability to refuse to take the place of King Laius, he also had the ability to discontinue his investigation of King Laius’ death, however in his own free will Oedipus choose to continue his investigation by dig deeper to the root of his existence. While Oedipus’ personality ensures his fate to become reality, Jocasta and Laius also assisted Oedipus ' destiny to become reality. If Laius never struck Oedipus to move out of the road, King Laius may have returned safely to his queen and avoided his fate of being killed by his own son, and for Jocasta, she could have simply refused to marry someone half her age. After discovering his identity, Oedipus didn’t blame anyone for his misfortune not his parents, the servant that saved him as a baby or even the Oracle but himself. He chose to accept the consequences of his action, as he