Kirsten Clerre Rafanan

Professor Nidžara Pečenković1

ENG 102

21 November 2022

E-mail: Kirstenrafanna25@gmail.com

The Play Between Freewill and Fate

When one does a selfless good act, it is often for the benefit of the people around them or

the ones they are trying to help. However, sometimes, uncontrollable circumstances may occur

which hinder people from successfully attaining their goodwill. These circumstances may consist

of a variety of events or even bodies that are beyond our control, which may also lead to the fall

of the person themself. In Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex, Oedipus tries to aid in protecting the people,

but as the story progresses, an abundance of mysteries fell upon him, which affected his life in its

entirety, and even led to his downfall. Sophocles was a political figure back in 5th-century

Athens. He also wrote a couple of plays, which were often tied to his homeland’s politics,

religion, and society. One of his plays, Oedipus Rex, significantly displays the importance of

religion back then. Through the analysis of the historical context, which emphasizes religion,

morality, and political philosophy in 5th-century Athens, to Oedipus Rex, readers can better

understand the text's relevance and connection of free will to fate.

Looking back at 5th-century Athens, readers can relate the religious practices and their

significance to Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex, which allows readers to better understand why gods

play a relevant role in the play. Kreon and Oedipus’ lines below significantly show the

importance of religion and how they apply it in their lives.

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KREON. The god commands us to expel from the land of Thebes

An old defilement we are sheltering.

It is a deadly thing, beyond cure;

We must not let it feed upon us longer (Sophocles, 102).

OEDIPUS. So with the help of God,

We shall be saved—or else indeed we are lost (Sophocles 149).

In lines 99 and 148, readers observe that ancient Greeks heavily rely on the Gods and were

steadfast in their beliefs. The mention of God multiple times also depicts their faith and how

quantitatively massive religion is as a part of their lives. The utmost cause of their actions is

highly based on the will of the Gods, which will presumably guide them into doing the “right”

means. Sophocles recognizes that men must be accountably faithful to their Gods to accomplish

responsibilities in light of their morals. He also expresses the beliefs of the Greeks throughout

the play (Jeffrey). The feat of Oedipus and the citizens are heavily rooted in their beliefs. Both

Oedipus and the citizens of Thebes act a certain way to avoid disappointing their Gods and

remain faithful to them, which is also true in ancient Greek civilization. In the text, they heavily

relied on cosmic bodies for guidance and wisdom in eventful circumstances, which is why they

immediately acted to dispel the cause of conflict because it is what their God demanded them to

accomplish. In connection with Sophocles’ beliefs, which are influenced by ancient Greek

culture and civilization, society must possess a powerful devotion to the ones they worship.

Analyzing the religious relevance of the play and how its role is deeply rooted in the acts of the

people allow readers to make connections between their beliefs. The devotion of the people can

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be related not to their religion alone but also to their principles and sense of rationality. In today’s

society, people act accordingly in connection with upholding their conventions.

By understanding that belief plays a big part in 5th-century Athens, readers can correlate

morality as one of the subcategories of religion. Thus, making sense of the way of life of the

people, both in Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex and in real life. The act of how the characters try to

embody their Gods is presented in Oedipus’ line:

OEDIPUS. Then once more I must bring dark to light.

It is most fitting that Apollo shows,

As you do, this compunction for the dead.

You shall see how I stand by you, as I should,

Avenging this country and the god as well,

And not as though it were for some distant friend,

But for my own sake, to be rid of evil (Sophocles, 140).

In this line, Oedipus states that he must embody and act like Apollo by doing good for their

country. This line proves that their sense of morality and ethics are heavily rooted in religion

because of their long-lasting willingness to imitate the acts of their Gods. It is also no question

that these decisions are made based on their willingness to accomplish such acts. However,

because religion is deeply engraved into their senses, the question of their true purpose lies

beneath their good moral matters. Ancient Greek culture heavily intertwined philosophy,

morality (or ethics), and religion. With religion being the dominant focus, the other two only

serve as factors of the other. In ancient Greek civilization, Eudemian ethics say that one should

devote their life through service and contemplation to their Gods to become more like them

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(Hare). In the play, Oedipus acts like a heroic figure by embodying the Greek Gods and

contributing to the wellness of the people. This representation of morality allows readers to

profoundly comprehend the moral and religious aspects of life in 5th-century Athens. The

morality in the climax of the play is beyond question, with only the lack of knowledge justifying

the horrifying occurrence in the life of Oedipus. However, focusing on the beginning of the play,

Oedipus aligns his ethics with the Gods he praises, reenacting their good moral doings.

Concerning ancient Greek beliefs, specifically in Eudemian ethics, people commit to

worshipping their Gods by imitating their actions, just like what Oedipus does. Towards the

climax of the play, however, Oedipus begins to “act out of character” and somehow loses his

sense of justification because of blaming Kreon for his own murder, which takes us back into

questioning if his actions are authentic or only to meet the expectations of the people, which,

again, is tightly tied to religion. In relation to today’s moral politics and the character’s purpose

in the play, the question, once again, arises if governing bodies act willingly “just because” or for

the sole fulfillment of their responsibilities, which they are expected to do. This thought also

allows readers to contemplate their own rationale, which may potentially aid in the avoidance of

corruptive decision-making.

By reading Sophocles' Oedipus Rex, readers can make connections between the politics-

related philosophical values present in 5th-century Athens to the play, which aids the readers in

realizing the pressure put on Oedipus as the ruler of the land of Thebes. Oedipus’ line below

show how he tries to fulfill his duties as their king:

OEDIPUS. Speak for them all, tell me what preys upon you,

Whether you come in dread, or crave some blessing:

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Tell me, and never doubt that I will help you

In every way I can; I should be heartless

Were I not moved to find your suppliant here (Sophocles, 15).

In this line, albeit Oedipus’ tone comes off strong, he demands the priest to tell him what bothers

him, if there is any because it is his moral obligation to guide the citizens and bring forth light.

The only ones who were considered citizens in ancient Greece were men. Moreover, they were

also the only ones who were permitted to govern (Llama). The philosopher Plato also mentioned

that it is morally enforced without choice for the well-being of society. Other than that, the

governing body did not have privacy of their own lives, as everything had to be publicized

(Galatoulas). Oedipus rules the land of Thebes and even pledges to stop the cause of the plague,

bringing a sense of catharsis to the people. However, as things began to unravel, his story was

made known to the public, and people began to have a prejudice against him. In the play, there

was barely any woman, which made men the dominant figure of the story. Relating this to the

politics in 5th-century Athens, only men were legally permitted to rule. As a result, this

pressurized them to govern the people. As for Oedipus, he did not have enough political and

moral knowledge of his position. In return, the story in the land of Thebes went downhill because

of the lack of awareness and accountability for his previous actions, which were not brought to

life until the occurrence of the plague. The pressurizing setting of the play makes readers

question the justification of Oedipus’ reign. Although Oedipus did such appalling acts, including

falsely blaming Kreon, the citizens may be put to blame, as well, for letting someone with no

definite sense of morality rule over them. However, since only men were given the approval to

rule, these may have coerced the citizens of just choosing whoever may govern. Connecting this

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to today’s politics, readers are able to recognize that the nation’s political welfare lies within their

hands because they are the ones who choose the ones who will sit on the governing chairs.

Regardless of the specific themes of the play, readers can apply other relevant issues that

correlate to the text’s focus. For instance, the reason for goodwill may especially be highlighted

in today’s time. However, focusing on the play’s message itself, no matter how the characters try

to avoid circumstances that will lead to an adverse outcome, it all comes down to their fate and

how celestial bodies play around with their lives. Readers can relate this message to everyday

occurrences by realizing that despite their efforts of fulfilling their hopes and expected results, it

will frequently, if not always, depend on the universe in terms of human interaction, which is not

within their control.

Works Cited

Afrin, Asra. “Oedipus Rex: A Moral Tragedy.” Aegaeum Journal, vol. 8, no. 2, 2020, pp. 134–

137.

Galatoulas, Stylianos. “Political Philosophy in Classic Greece: Plato and Aristotle.” Arcadia,

Arcadia, 8 Apr. 2022, https://www.byarcadia.org/post/political-philospophy-101-ancient-

greece-plato-and-aristotle.

Hare, John. “Religion and Morality.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Stanford University,

27 Sep. 2006, https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/religion-morality/.

Jeffrey, Robin. “Sophocles' Religion.” Robin Jeffrey, 20 Dec. 2014,

https://robinjeffreyauthor.com/2014/12/20/sophocles-religion/.

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Llama, Drama. “Oedipus Rex a Play Created to Purge Society of Unwanted Emotions.” Medium,

ILLUMINATION-Curated, 25 Sept. 2020, https://medium.com/illumination-curated/

oedipus-rex-a-play-created-to-purge-society-of-unwanted-emotions-2a37b6a0a8fd.

Woodward, Thomas. “Sophocles.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 20

July 1998, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Sophocles.