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Oedipus The King - Edited
Oedipus The King - Edited
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Introduction
In life, it is within reach for there to be a good balance between fate and free will. Fate is
the pre-planned destiny, whereas; free will depends on whether an individual decides to do
something. In most life cases, people always think that they can determine their very own
destiny, but to the Greeks, this is not the case (Nussbaum, Martha., 1996). The Greeks believe
that people cannot change fate as set by the gods. Even though people cannot change their future,
they can control what fate has for them. Sophocles' play Oedipus the King, Oedipus is able to
discover his frightful fate. He is supposed to take responsibility for this fate and accept the cruel
actualities of what he is to face. The play does not primarily show a man who discovers to his
surprise, that he is powerless to govern his own life; instead, it gives an example of how
particular human beings can find ways to venture their independence within limits determined by
their destiny. Fate definitely determines character's lives in the play, even though it does not
Oedipus's entire life has been read out and dominated since his birth. The dominance of
his life included his behavior and personality though in some cases, one's character can be
overwhelmed by the environment in which one was raised. Were it not for the prophecy sent to
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Jocasta by the gods, Oedipus would not have been ejected and brought up in the environment he
did, most likely changing the way he would react in situations such as fate and destiny
determination. Therefore, the gods' prophecy influenced the conditions of his upbringing
Oedipus’ unbending desire to unwrap the truth concerning Laius’ murder and the puzzle
encircling his birth drove him to the tragic realization of his dreadful deeds. Tiresias, Jocasta, and
the herdsman tried to block him from pursuing the truth. After realizing that the prophecy had
come to pass, Jocasta begs him just to let the puzzle go unanswered for once. "I beg you do not
track this, I beg you, if you have any care for your own life. What I am suffering is enough,”
(Sophocles. 429BC). Despite the begging, Oedipus refused to be persuaded to let the chance of
getting to know the whole mystery. He is unable to stop his hunt for the truth, even under
Jocasta's pleading. Sophocles clearly illustrates how man is unable to control his traits and
Through his efforts to find the killer, Oedipus arraigns the blind prophet Tiresias to his
palace for questions. This scene between Oedipus and Tiresias starts the first scene to show
intense conflict; Oedipus's temper is seen for the first time. Before the scene, Oedipus's actions
were so calm, but when Tiresias fails to reveal the killer's identity, Oedipus loses patience. Not
knowing he was the murderer, Oedipus cursed himself. He goes ahead and streams the curse by
saying; "Whoever this person is, single man undisclosed in his misdeeds or one among many, let
that man pull out his life in agony, step by painful step, I curse myself too. If by any fate he
asserts to be an close to our reignage, here at my home, with my full knowledge, may the curse I
just called down upon him strike me!" (Sophocles. 429BC) Oedipus believes that, by search of
Laius’s killer, he is using his free will, which is not the case.
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Oedipus fails to perceive the consequences his chase for the murderer will have for him
and how ignorance is the loyal base to the truth. Oedipus's ignorance, pride, and
uncompromising search for the truth ultimately contributed to his destruction. An excellent
example of this is after threatening Tiresias, Oedipus was told that he was accountable for the
murder of Laius. Oedipus was angered and called the old oracle a liar. Oedipus, in his own way,
thought that he could outplay the gods by running away from his home, but that was not the case.
In fact, every action moved him closer to the prophecy becoming a reality. Upon discovering the
truth about his birth from the herdsman, Oedipus cries, 'I who initially saw the light procreate of
a match accursed, and accursed in my living with them, cursed in my killing” (Sophocles.,
429BC). Oedipus totally admitted that his fate had, beyond doubt, emerged and cursed by it.
After that, the chorus sings, "What man, what man on earth wins more happiness than a seeming
and after that was forefend? Oedipus, you are my figure of this, Oedipus you and your future!
Unlucky Oedipus, whom of all men I envied not at all” (Sophocles., 429BC). In singing this, the
chorus shows an ode on the hopeless life and the catastrophic destiny to which even the most
At the end of this tragedy, Oedipus gouges his eyes out, the chorus questions him as to
what god admonished him to blindness. Oedipus, in return, answered, "It was Apollo, friends,
Apollo that brought this bitter bitterness' my regretions to execution. Unfortunately, the hand that
struck me was none but my own." Oedipus was declared guilty of his decisions. He was
remorseful for the murder of his father and marrying his mother, but in the end, the actual sin lay
in his overintense attempt to himself at the level of the gods by trying hard to escape his fate. The
chorus sings that in prosperity, he was envied by all men respected highest above all venerations
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and how he achieved elation by pride. But unfortunately, he was suspected of it, causing a
His intentions for marrying his mother and murdering his father from the barbarousness
of his misdeeds; by tearing up, Oedipus was accepting the full responsibility of his acts, and he
knew that it was to pay his sins. Therefore, the last act of demolition was done by Oedipus' free
will. Still, his catastrophic destiny came as a result of the nature of fate- that every sin must be
In this play, "Oedipus the King,” prophecies assert that fate is a true force in the world of
the play. However, the paths that humans partake towards their predetermined destinations are
set aside for them to choose by themselves as to the attitudes they adopt towards the gods'
decrees. Before the play set on stage, Laius and Jocasta left their own son for the dead to baffle
the terrible prophecy that he would someday kill his father and marry his mother. In the same
case, when Oedipus learned of his fate, he ran off Corinth, hoping that the prophecy was only
applicable to Polybus, the man he believed to be his biological father. In the play, when Oedipus
realizes that he is the one who must be dispensed to save Thebes from the plague, he straight
away agrees to submit to the decrees and leave the city. Oedipus and his parents' early choices
may have been imprudent and full of oneself, but his final options offer him a measure of tragic
dignity. Throughout this play, Sophocles admits that humans have the freedom to determine the
In conclusion, "Oedipus the King," in its totality, is a play that explores the styles of free
will and fate. Oedipus desired a varied result hence;, with his choices, he did exactly what he
could. To the ancient Greeks, fate was a crucial aspect of their daily lives; it formed and shaped
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human life. Fate evolved during these years primarily because the Greeks viewed it as something
unstoppable, while nowadays, it has become our destiny. It has come to the realization that fate
was the will of the gods; in fact, it was the truth unveiled by the oracle at Delphi. Sophocles, in
this play, acknowledges the importance of humility and reimbursement. The rational voice of the
chorus casts a shadow over the light on the people’s fear and astonishment of the gods.
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References
Nussbaum, Martha. "Compassion: The basic social emotion." Social Philosophy and Policy 13.1
(1996): 27-58.