Oedipus Rex: Free will vs. fate
The events in the tragic play, Oedipus Rex illustrates a mixture of fate and free will. Both the concept of fate and free will led to the destruction of Oedipus. Although he was a victim of fate, he was not controlled by it. Oedipus was destined from birth to marry his mother and murder his father. This prophecy was inevitable no matter what Oedipus may have done to avoid it. His past actions were determined by fate, but his decisions to flee from Corinth, murder an older man (which so happened to be his father and the King of Thebes), and to marry an older woman were that of his free will. From the beginning of this tragedy, Oedipus took many actions leading to his own downfall. When Oedipus heard the news of his fate, he chose to flee Corinth, the city in which he lived. This was his first decision that led to his self-destruction. Also, as the new king of Thebes, Oedipus could have done nothing, hoping that the plague would end by some other means than to find the “sour” thing in Thebes, but out of compassion for his suffering people and his yearning to
Oedipus had many personal contributions that also led to his destruction. His pride, or hubris, ignorance, and belief that he could possibly outsmart the gods and fate, and his relentless quest for the truth all destroyed him. When Oedipus was told, after threatening Teiresias, that he was responsible for the murder of Laios, he became enraged and called the seer a liar. He ran away from his home in Corinth in hopes of outsmarting the gods. The chorus warns us of man’s need to have reverence for the gods, and the dangers of too much pride. “Haughtiness and the high hand of disdain tempt and outrage God’s holy laws; and any mortal who dares hold no immortal Power in awe will be caught up in a net of pain.” (68; l. 21-25) The play ended by the chorus warning the Greeks that the only way to happiness is through humility and respect towards the gods, qualities which Oedipus lacked, and ultimately led to his self-destruction. Oedipus was doomed at birth by fate, Apollo had cast upon him, but it was his free will that ultimately destroyed his life. At the en
Some topics in this essay:
King Laios,
Apollo Dear,
Oedipus Rex,
Oedipus Iocaste,
King Thebes,
Thebes Oedipus,
Creon Delphi,
Teiresias Iocaste,
,
king thebes,
flee corinth,
quest truth,
fate free,
led destruction,
led self-destruction,
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Approximate Word count = 725
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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