Was Oedipus Responsible For His Own Fate - 1384 Words

Was Oedipus responsible for his own fate? Oedipus, the King Harmanjot Singh Parmar, 578087686 Vancouver Island University Author note This paper was prepared for Liberal studies, Section 250, taught by Mark Blackell Oedipus-the king is a true Greek novel in all sense. It is a tragedy at heart and explores various emotions and instances of human life in a suspenseful and heart trenching way. Oedipus the King unfolds as a murder mystery, a political thriller, and a psychological whodunit (The Oedipus trilogy). In this mythic story of patricide and Oedipal love, Sophocles emphasizes the irony of a man determined to track down, expose, and put the man behind bars who killed king Laius and funny though, the man turns out to be himself. The hero of the play, Oedipus is a ruler of Greek city, Thebes and had become king by solving the riddle of Sphinx and marrying the Queen Jocasta. It totally grips a persons’ interest and tell about the moral values of life. A lot of Themes have been discussed, but the one which seems basic structure of the story is the role of fate in whole play. I think fate played an interesting aspect of Oedipus’ life throughout the play. It was fate which was respon sible for most of the circumstances in the story. But was the fate only criterion that led to fall ofShow MoreRelatedOedipus The King By Sophocles1598 Words   |  7 PagesThe events in Oedipus the King, written by Sophocles, suggesting a connection between man s free will towards perfection in life or fate which the ancient Greeks believed that Gods had given to them. Man was free to choose and was ultimately held responsible for his own actions. Both the concepts of fate and free will are a poignant factor and they play an indispensable role in the Oedipus destruction. Oedipus was a victim of fate when he was predicted from birth to someday marry his mother and toRead MoreOedipus Fate And Fate Essay777 Words   |  4 PagesFate as defined by the Merriam Webster dictionary is ‘an inevitable and often adverse outcome, condition, or end’. Sophocles discusses fate vs free will in his plays. In the play Oedipus Rex there was a prophecy that Oedipus was destined to kill his father and marry his mother, he attempts to escape his destiny by running away to Thebes where he meets his fate. In the play Antigone, that main character Antigone decides to go against Creon’s (her uncle who has inherited the throne) decree and buryRead MoreHamlet vs. Oedipus1493 Words   |  6 PagesHamlet vs Oedipus Hamlet by William Shakespeare and Oedipus the King by Sophocles are both tragic stories which contain many elements of which are similar and different. Although both Hamlet and Oedipus suffer from fate, Hamlet’s father is murdered by his brother Claudius, while Oedipus kills his own father. Both Hamlet and Oedipus have the opportunity to shun their fate, but the two men believe themselves to be the only individual who can resolve the predicament which they are faced with. TheRead MoreOedipus Rex, by Sophocles822 Words   |  4 Pagesit. But all I did was blame myself.† This quote, from actress Teri Hatcher about her own childhood also relates to Oedipus’s situation from Oedipus Rex by Sophocles. Sophocles‘ Oedipus Rex tells the story of a monarch named Oedipus whowho becomes the unfortunate victim of circumstances beyond his control. In Oedipus Rex, Oedipus‘ downfall is not a result of excessive hubris or his actions, but rather his parentsâ₠¬â„¢ disgraceful actions and uncontrollable aspects of fate. Oedipus’ parents actionsRead MoreIs Oedipus Rex a Story of Tragedy or Fate? Essay1272 Words   |  6 Pages Oedipus Rex a play by Sophocles can be looked at in two ways as or as not a tragedy of fate. Author Lionel Trilling states that much ingenuity has been used to show that it is not a tragedy of fate and those critics use Poetics by Aristotle to back their claim, â€Å"the protagonist of a tragedy should be a man worthy of respect and admiration but have some discernible weakness or fault of character to which his tragic disaster may be attributed. In some important sense, that is, he is to be thoughtRead MoreFate vs Free Will in Sophocles ´ Oedipus Rex and Shakespeare ´s Macbeth1487 Words   |  6 PagesFate and free will are two topics that are often questionable because they go hand in hand. Fate is a belief that a certain event is said to happen, then that persons choice and free will lead them to what has been predicted as inevitable. Knowing whether somethin g is fate’s fault or the fault of the person who’s going to enact the said action, is one question that has never been fully answered. In Sophocles Oedipus Rex and Shakespeares Macbeth, fate is determined by their own choices and freeRead MoreOedipus the King by Sophocles1393 Words   |  6 Pages Sophocles’ play, Oedipus the King, has risen many questions concerning the main character and whether or not he acts on free will or if his future is predestined by the gods. I am going to test the theory that although Oedipus believes he is acting on his own free will, he is in fact a victim of the gods. I will analyze several different sources that discuss fate and human agency in Oedipus the King and then proceed to build my original argument on the archaic debate. There has been a great dealRead MoreOedipus the King: Fate vs. Free Will Essay examples591 Words   |  3 PagesSophocles’ Oedipus the King: Fate vs. Free Will In Oedipus the King, one of Sophocles’ most popular plays, Sophocles clearly depicts the Greek’s popular belief that fate will control a man’s life despite of man’s free will. Man was free to choose and was ultimately held responsible for his own actions. Throughout Oedipus the King, the concept of fate and free will plays an integral part in Oedipus destruction. Destined to marry his mother and murder his father, Oedipus was partly guidedRead MoreOedipus Rex Analisys895 Words   |  4 PagesIn Oedipus Rex, Sophocles portraits one of the most intriguing and fascinating traits of the human nature: the search for truth regarding who we are and the realization of the paths reserved by our future fate. The play starts with the presentation of the main character: Oedipus, the king of Thebes. Sophocles presents Oedipus to the reader as a majestic figure who addresses his attention to the people of Thebes from his palace. The city had been hit by a devastating plague due to Laà ¯os (theRead MoreFate And Free Will : Oedipus The King1136 Words   |  5 PagesClearly depicted, in Oedipus the King, is the Greek s popular belief that fate will control a man s life in spite of man s free will. Throughout the story, the concept of fate and free will plays an integral part in Oedipus destruction and ultimately the death of his family. Destined to marry his mother and murder his father, Oedipus was guided by fate. When Oedipus learns of his fate he immediately tries to prevent it, as did his mother and father. This prophecy, as warned by the Oracle of