In Oedipus the King, the main character Oedipus as well as his parents Jocasta and Laius were fated by the gods. It was prophesied that the child of Laius and Jocasta, Oedipus, would kill his father and marry his mother. Afraid of this prophecy coming true, Jocasta and Laius sought to avoid their fate by piercing a spike through baby Oedipus’ ankles and leaving him on a mountaintop to die and therefore preventing the events the prophecy predicted from occurring. However, because of the actions they took to avoid their fate, they actually caused the prophecy to come true. Oedipus is rescued and put in the care of an adoptive family who he believes are his real parents. Because of this, Oedipus runs away from home after hearing the prophecy several years later because he does not want to kill his father or marry his mother. However, his action actually causes the prophecy to come true as he kills his real birth father, Laius, and marries his birth mother, Jocasta, unaware that he was adopted after being found abandoned on the mountainside. In this way, by trying to avoid their fate, Oedipus, Jocasta, and Laius actually cause it to happen.…
In Oedipus the King, fate and free will play a huge role throughout the storyline. Only one however brought Oedipus to his death and downfall. Both points can be argued greatly! The ancient Greeks acknowledged fate as a reality outside an individual that developed and determined their life. It is that mankind does have control over his or her individual life. I assume that fate does indeed lead to Oedipus’s downfall.…
Fate’s Misfortunes Since the beginning, fate has been the building blocks for human’s lives. Whenever fate has been set in motion, it CANNOT be escaped. In Sophocles’ play Oedipus the King there are several major playing factors in the role of fate. Every action whether intentional or accidental, plays right into the hands of fate. It is absolutely unavoidable. No matter what is done to try to change one’s fate, once it is set in motion there is simply no changing it.…
If Oedipus had died before he knew his fate, he says he would have been better off than living out his prophecy. He expresses his regret for learning of his destiny. Without the knowledge, Oedipus’s life and the lives of his family members’ would have been drastically improved from what they become. In the absence of prophecy, Oedipus’s actions may have appeared as freak accidents; instead, Oedipus is forced to realize the helpless cause of trying to take control of one’s own life. The Gods can control fate at will, and no matter what Oedipus had done, after learning of his fortune, he would have been unwittingly manipulated into performing the horrific acts involving his parents. Oedipus laments over this fact after previously celebrating his adoptive father’s death and thus his own apparent victory over the oracle’s grim prophecy. Oedipus’s denial of the truth comes back to plague him as the prophecy is fulfilled. He can see that it did not matter what course of action he took; he would have been led to tragedy like a lamb to the slaughter. The knowledge only led him to despair about his future; nothing good came from learning his own fate. By seeking out fate, Oedipus caused his own life to deteriorate. Knowledge of prophecy only burdens the enlightened individual…
In Sophocles’ O edipus The King, Oedipus was born with the curse that he would kill his father, Laios, and marry his mother, Jocasta. Oedipus tries to avoid his fate by running away from Corinth, however this causes him and Laios to meet one last time, and Oedipus ends up fulfilling the prophecy. With this in mind, the gods create a person’s predetermined fate, and no one can ever escape it, as Jocasta points out; “No mortal can practise the art of prophecy, no man can see the future.” (935). O edipus The King i llustrates t hat the gods have the ultimate power in people's’ lives rather than free will of the people, an individual cannot overcome fate because the gods determine their future, and personalities are chosen by the gods and as well…
This is shown from Oedipus's birth as steps were taken to ensure the prophecy could hold true. The gods knew Oedipus would want to preserve his pride and leave Corinth to avoid his parents, so they punished him by disguising his parents allowing him to fulfill the predetermined prophecy. As fate would have it, leaving Corinth to avoid his prophecy really just brought him closer to fulfilling it. After all, Oedipus himself said; "... no man on the earth can force the gods to what they will not." (280) The gods had obviously had this pre planned and despite his best efforts, Oedipus could not shake the power of…
I disagree with the statement to a certain extent that man is predestined to fulfil his own fate and ultimately any form of intervention towards his destiny would only prove to be futile. In Oedipus the King, Oedipus’ past actions were determined by fate, but what he did in Thebes was out of his own free will, thus he is responsible for his own downfall. However in some instances, I feel that fate played a part in the destruction of Oedipus as he was destined from birth to someday murder his father and bed his mother. This prophecy, as warned by the oracle of Apollo at Delphi, would inevitably come to pass, no matter how he tried to avoid it.…
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. However, it not fair for Oedipus to take full responsibility of killing his father and having an incent relationship with Queen Jocasta because fate has overcome his free will.…
Jocasta's philosophy of life is part of the main issue of Sophocles' play 'King Oedipus': destiny vs. freewill. Her statement "chance rules our lives", however, is quite ironic as Jocasta had taken the fate of her son, Oedipus, very seriously when he was first born, so much so as to have him left to die on Mount Cithaeron in order to avoid his destiny. Oedipus is also very closely related to this debate. Was it chance that caused him to kill his father and marry his mother as was prophesied or was it fate? This debate then extends to whether Oedipus deserved his self-inflicted punishment for his crimes. If it was fate and hence unavoidable, how could he be held responsible?…
"Fate" only happened because of the actions of the characters themselves. And in their actions, there was no divine intervention that somehow facilitated the prophecy. Oedipus was born an intelligent and strong man who was meant for great things. This is the reason why he managed to solve the riddle of the Sphinx in the first place, and probably also the reason why he single-handedly murdered a band of travelers including his own father.…
The first main sign of fate is when Oedipus is dropped off to die because Oedipus’ parents did not want the curse to come true. Being controlled by fear, Oedipus’s parents Lauis and Jocasta sent baby Oedipus to the mountains refusing to allow the oracle to happen, hoping he’ll die. Being sent to the mountains with his ankles tied, and set alone to die. Polybus grabs Oedipus and raises Oedipus as his own. The fact that Lauis and Jocasta had already planned out…
The characters in Oedipus the King express many different views on fate, prophecy, and the power of the gods. Characters like the chorus and the leader have solid beliefs in the gods and prophecy, but their faith is shaken many times and is changed based on the events that happen. Other characters like Jocasta refuse to accept the prophecies as truth. Towards the end of the play, however, all have no hesitation in their minds that the power of the gods and prophecies are valid. Everything that was foretold becomes true, extinguishing any doubt and maddening those who did not believe. Thus, Sophocles ultimately suggests that fate is unavoidable and it is unwise to try to alter it.…
The irony behind Oedipus tragical childhood fate and his name are both perfect examples of the theme God vs Human. This is also another strenghener factor about how humans have no power over fate and prophecies. Oedipus fate was traced was determined way before his conception. From him bieng a baby all these misfortunes start to happen and he has no control or is even aware of what is going on. Another foreshadow of how humans free will is limited and powerless against fate.…
In many respects, the irony is that while Oedipus is treated unfairly by fate, he is also the initiator of events that torment him. Oedipus uses his free will, yet fate molds the outcome of the decisions that he has made. In other words, he is free and, therefore, to some extent, completely responsible for the events that happen to him.…
Meaning of Fate Fate or predestination is “the development of events, outside a persons’ control, as predetermined by supernatural power” Examining this description with the line of developments in King Oedipus, one can partly identify fate in the play with its formal description. Oedipus’ actions, e.g. killing his father and sleeping with his mother, “sinful in marriage, sinful in shedding blood” (Sophocles, King Oedipus 1228) is the developments mentioned in the description mentioned above. The next phrase, “outside a person’s control”, is not true in the case of Oedipus. He had control over his actions, as he has a free will. He chose to murder a fellow road user (King Laius) and to take Jocasta as his wife. He did not however do this with the knowledge to the identity of his birth parents, Jocasta and Laius. Finally one can add the power of the supernatural in this catastrophic equation.…