oedipus the king free will vs fate essay

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Oedipus Rex

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The ancient Greeks believed that their gods could see the future, and that certain people could access this information. Prophets or seers, like blind Tiresias , saw visions of things to come. Oracles, priests who resided at the temples of gods—such as the oracle to Apollo at Delphi—were also believed to be able to interpret the gods' visions and give prophecies to people who sought to know the future. During the fifth century B.C.E., however, when Sophocles was writing his plays, intellectuals within Athenian society had begun to question the legitimacy of the oracles and of the traditional gods. Some of this tension is plain to see in Oedipus Rex , which hinges on two prophecies. The first is the prophecy received by King Laius of Thebes that he would have a son by Queen Jocasta who would grow up to kill his own father. The second is the prophecy that Oedipus received that he would kill his father and marry his mother. Laius, Jocasta, and Oedipus all work to prevent the prophecies from coming to pass, but their efforts to thwart the prophecies are what actually bring the prophecies to completion.

This raises a question at the heart of the play: does Oedipus have any choice in the matter? He ends up killing his father and marrying his mother without knowing it—in fact, when he is trying to avoid doing these very things. Does he have free will—the ability to choose his own path—or is everything in life predetermined? Jocasta argues that the oracles are a sham because she thinks the prediction that her son would kill her husband never came to pass. When she finds out otherwise, she kills herself. In Oedipus Rex , Oedipus has fulfilled his terrible prophecy long ago, but without knowing it. He has already fallen into his fate. One could argue that he does have free will, however, in his decision to pursue the facts about his past, despite many suggestions that he let it go. In this argument, Oedipus's destruction comes not from his deeds themselves but from his persistent efforts to learn the truth, through which he reveals the true nature of those terrible deeds. Oedipus himself makes a different argument at the end of the play, when he says that his terrible deeds were fated, but that it was he alone who chose to blind himself. Here, Oedipus is arguing that while it is impossible to avoid one's fate, how you respond to your fate is a matter of free will.

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The roles of free will and fate in a person’s life are discussed in literature since ancient times. Oedipus the King is one of the most famous tragedies by Sophocles, which is developed to discuss this conflict in detail. The tragic destiny of Oedipus can be explained from two different perspectives. On the one hand, Oedipus is a victim of the gods’ will and prophesied fate. On the other hand, the downfall of Oedipus is a result of his wrong decisions. Even though the role of fate and prophecy is significant in influencing the life of Oedipus, the king’s destiny can be discussed as a direct result of his actions, choices, and decisions.

Oedipus is described in the first lines of the tragedy as a hero who can protect Thebes from all the threats, but the king is rather vulnerable to fight against his fate and dramatic prophecy. Thus, the significant role of the prophecy is accentuated in many lines of the tragedy.

Tiresias emphasizes the impossibility to avoid prophecy while accentuating the king’s impossibility to see obvious things, “You have your eyes but see not where you are / in sin, nor where you live, nor whom you live with. / Do you know who your parents are?” (Sophocles 413-415). From this perspective, a range of choices made by Oedipus prevents him from seeing the things about their true nature, and his further downfall becomes supported by his choices.

Although the dramatic fate makes Oedipus suffer and fall, the king chooses this path as a result of many decisions. According to Dodds, everything that Oedipus “does on the stage from first to last; he does as a free agent” (Dodds 42). Thus, the destiny of Oedipus is the unique combination of fate-bound events and a series of choices made by a free man.

Dodds notes that the main cause of Oedipus’ fall is not his fate because “no oracle said that he must discover the truth – and still less does it lie in his weakness; what causes his ruin is his strength and courage, his loyalty to Thebes, and his loyalty to the truth” (Dodds 43). Oedipus knows his fate, but it is a series of his actions, which leads to the tragedy because the king has the free will not to act or focus on changing his life. From this point, the knowledge of his fate provides Oedipus with a certain range of choices, but only Oedipus can build his destiny.

The conflict between free will and fate is still important to be discussed while being placed in a larger context of popular literature. Not only Oedipus tries to cope with the possible consequences of the prophecy. Such a literary character as Harry Potter also pays much attention to finding the ways to decrease the impact of the prophecy on his life. Thus, the conflict of fate and free will can be discussed as the conflict produced by the knowledge of the fate and by a series of the person’s choices and actions which can be oriented to avoiding the fate or accepting it. If Harry Potter accepts his fate, Oedipus is oriented to avoid it, and he makes the wrong choices from the first steps. Accentuating the necessity to accept the fate, Jocasta notes in the tragedy, “Do not concern yourself about this matter; / listen to me and learn that human beings / have no part in the craft of prophecy” (Sophocles 707-709). The tragic irony of Oedipus’ life is in the fact that if Oedipus accepts his fate, there is a chance to avoid it.

It is possible to assume that there are many paths for a person to choose, and this choice is a result of the person’s free will. Furthermore, there are also many events and situations which can be discussed as key ones in people’s lives, and these key life moments can be prophesied. A person can have some control over his or her life while making daily choices.

However, there is always a thread which leads a person according to fate. From this point, the control over the life and future is real only while focusing on the actions here and now, but this control is rather hypothetical while speaking about the person’s fate. Thus, Oedipus’ everyday choices lead him to his fate, but his reaction to the situation and his blindness are only the results of the king’s free will.

While discussing the conflict between fate and free will, it is possible to note that a person cannot learn whether his or her actions lead to changing the dramatic life events or make them closer. The tragedy of Oedipus described by Sophocles is in the fact that his extreme desire to avoid the destiny makes him the victim of his fate because of the actions which are the products of the king’s free will. The discussion of this life paradox makes the reader focus more on the problem of the free will and fate and analyze life events.

Works Cited

Dodds, Eric Robertson. “On Misunderstanding the ‘Oedipus Rex’”. G reece & Rome, Second Series 13.1 (1966): 37-49. Print.

Sophocles. Oedipus the King . Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2012. Print.

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IvyPanda. (2020, April 30). Free Will and Fate in Sophocles' Oedipus the King Drama. https://ivypanda.com/essays/free-will-and-fate-in-sophocles-oedipus-the-king-drama/

"Free Will and Fate in Sophocles' Oedipus the King Drama." IvyPanda , 30 Apr. 2020, ivypanda.com/essays/free-will-and-fate-in-sophocles-oedipus-the-king-drama/.

IvyPanda . (2020) 'Free Will and Fate in Sophocles' Oedipus the King Drama'. 30 April.

IvyPanda . 2020. "Free Will and Fate in Sophocles' Oedipus the King Drama." April 30, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/free-will-and-fate-in-sophocles-oedipus-the-king-drama/.

1. IvyPanda . "Free Will and Fate in Sophocles' Oedipus the King Drama." April 30, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/free-will-and-fate-in-sophocles-oedipus-the-king-drama/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Free Will and Fate in Sophocles' Oedipus the King Drama." April 30, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/free-will-and-fate-in-sophocles-oedipus-the-king-drama/.

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Fate Vs Free Will in Sophocles' Oedipus Rex

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Fate vs Free Will in Oedipus Rex

Fate vs free will is a complex question. It’s been discussed by philosophers and theologians for centuries, and there are many different opinions about what happens in the universe to make things turn out one way or another. In this post, we explore the idea of fate versus free will in Oedipus Rex – a story that is all about destiny playing a large role in people’s lives.

Fate vs Free Will

Fate and free will are both important concepts in the play Oedipus Rex. Though fate and free will work together and complement one another, they can also contradict each other at times. Fate’s role is to dictate that everything that happens must happen for a reason, while free will is the power of choice. Ultimately, fate is unavoidable even when free will comes into play.

The audience and reader, however, understand that the workings of fate and destiny are in motion. Fate actually guides Oedipus to do the exact thing from which he is running. This idea lends itself to the thought that fate trumps any sort of “free will” man may think he possesses.

The gravity of Oedipus’ choice to investigate the murder of the previous king to purify his city can also be read as fate in action for it is the oracle who says, “pollution, harbored in the land, we must drive hence, nor harbour irremediably” (335). The course of action that Oedipus thinks he takes on willingly to find Laius’ killer is unwittingly fueled by fate and sees him being led toward doom.

The debate in Oedipus Rex

The debate in Oedipus Rex is one about fate and free will. The argument is between Oedipus and Creon, but the discussion is at its most intense with Teiresias. Oedipus believes that all things are destined to happen by fate, and that we cannot choose our own path. Creon believes that humans have their own free will and they can change things for better if they work hard enough. Teiresias believes in a balance of both, claiming that “the gods alone know all” (line 205).

Read About: The Role of Chorus in Oedipus Rex

Is it possible to have both fate and free will?

The tragic end of Oedipus’s story is predetermined before the beginning. The old Oracle reveals to him that he will murder his father and marry his mother. This end can be prevented only by never leaving the kingdom, but it cannot be avoided. As the action progresses, the theme of fate versus free will becomes clearer.

What does Sophocles think about the nature of fate?

Sophocles’s opinion of fate is more complex than the average person’s. He does not believe that fate is a strict and unforgiving force, but he does think it has a will. Fate wills that certain events take place because it has a plan for a specific type of individual that will bring balance to society as a whole. Sophocles never says what the fate’s will is—which I find interesting.

How does free will affect the story?

Oedipus Rex is a tragedy, and in tragedies the protagonist’s fate is sealed from the start. This means that whatever happens to them does not depend on their own free will, but rather on fate. So in this story, Oedipus’ fate is sealed because he must kill his father and marry his mother, which can be seen as inevitable.

Chorus exclaims, “all-seeing Time hath found and doomed…” (360) this expresses that time sees all; fate and the course of time are powerful things that no man can outdo. Man can neither understand nor seek to stop the will of the gods, and it is pointless to try as is seen by Oedipus’ tragic example. The conclusion of the story isn’t about fate and free will, but rather, what it takes to reach a point where we can stop using them as scapegoats and truly take control of our own lives.

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Oedipus: Fate vs Free Will as the Major Theme

King oedipus: the debate of fate vs free will .

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Oedipus The King: Fate Vs. Free Will Analysis

The ancient Greek writer, Sophocles suggests that while there are factors beyond mankind’s control that we have the power to make choices that affect our destiny. In his play, Oedipus the King, Sophocles makes it quite clear that although everyone is born with a fate, you have the ability to alter its direction and toll. The main character of the play, Oedipus, is based on the way Sophocles portrays the equilibrium between fate and freewill, and shows the reader, how one can alter his destiny through the hand of free will.

This play shows an underlying relationship of man’s free will existing within the cosmic order or fate that the Greeks believed guided the universe. Man was free to choose and was held responsible for his own actions. Both the concepts of fate and free will played an essential part in Oedipus’ destruction. Although he was a victim of fate, he was not controlled by it. One example of Oedipus showing his free will is in the beginning of the play when there is a plague in Thebes that can only be stopped by finding King Laius’ killer.

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Oedipus tells Creon that he curses the killer of Lauis to live in exile, “Now my curse on the murderer, Whoever he is a lone man unknown in his crime or one among many, let that man drag out his life in agony, step by painful step”. This quote shows free will because Oedipus tells Creon that whoever is the killer of Lauis, he is going to send him to exile in the mountains. He could have investigated the murder, but in his hastiness, he condemns the murderer, and in so, unknowingly curses himself. This example shows that although his fate is predetermined, he has the power to change its direction.

In order for Sophocles’ play to be categorized as tragic, the tragic hero had to have some sort of flaw. The hero’s tragic flaws are the qualities, which lead to his downfall. Oedipus’ pride, ignorance, insolence towards the gods, and unrelenting quest for the truth contributed to his destruction; these are his tragic flaws. The chorus warns us of man’s need to have respect for the gods, and the dangers of too much pride. Oedipus disregarded the words of the chorus, and instead, showed great dislike towards the Gods and Apollo: ’Twas Apollo, friends, willed the evil, willed, and brought the agony to pass! nd yet the hand that struck was mine, mine only”. This passage shows his hatred toward the Gods and his disrespect towards their power and authority, but also shows that his free will was what brought him to kill. Another example of free will is that Oedipus refused to stop looking for the truth that Jocasta and Lauis were Oedipus’ parents when Jocasta, his wife, told him to. “Stop in the name of god, if you love your own life, call off this search! My suffering is enough. Listen to me”. Oedipus replied, “Listen to you? No more. I must know it all, I must see the truth at last”.

These quotes also prove free will by Oedipus because Jocasta doesn’t want him to know about his past and he insists and doesn’t listen to her. Oedpius had an unrelenting quest to find out the truth of his past. If he had chosen to listen to her, he would have saved himself from the prophecy. Since Oedipus was so concerned with finding the murderer of King Laius (himself), the events that took place put the prophecy back into motion. Oedipus was so busy trying to escape the propacy, that he actually let the propacy catch back up to him. There comes a point where I think your free will can lead to your fate.

In this case, Oedipus’s free will did indeed affect his fate. Although he was able to outrun it for a little while, it caught back up with him due to his free will; the decisions made by Oedipus along his course to evade his dreadful fate. One of Oedipus’s greatest sins was trying to reach the level of the Gods by trying to escape his fate. In Greek mythology , the gods are the almighty powers, and no one can compare; not royalty, nor prophets. So when Oedipus tries to defy the gods, by saying that they were the ones who cursed him in the first place, this was a grave sin in those times.

But in the end when he tears out his eyes, Oedipus is accepting the full responsibility of his acts and knew that he must be punished for his sins; those being angering the gods and not accepting their power and greatness. Therefore the last act of destruction was caused by Oedipus’ free will, but his tragic fate came about because of the role of the gods in human affairs. I can personally relate to this play because I agree wholeheartedly with Sophocles. I have shown you a couple examples from this play that explain how Oedipus uses free will to influence his fate. My personal views of this topic agree with my thesis.

I believe that everything we do in life is of our own hand. I also believe, like the Greeks, that we are born with a fate, a predetermined path to life. Once we are born, however, that path (fate) can be altered as little or as much as we so choose. Unlike Oedipus, we will never know our fate, but I think that doesn’t change the fact that our free will changes everything in our lives. I do think that sometimes, things happen that you can’t control, but when that happens, you can always choose the next step after that. Deciding what you do in your life after a situation is not fate at all, that is all free will.

Looking outside of Greek mythology and my own personal opinions, I look to the Internet to find out some more information on fate and free will. “Free will implies choice. It means that we can act – we can choose and then we can act upon that choice. It assumes, therefore, that there is such a thing as cause and effect. Our choice becomes a cause for our effective action. All of this, then, is in contradiction of the idea of ‘fate’, which implies that something will happen regardless of our choices and actions; that an effect will occur, regardless of the causes that are in place.

And yet, of course, those who believe in fate will argue that the fated outcome is a result of some (freely chosen) past action, possibly even in a previous incarnation”. Looking at this interpretation, I come to understand that fate and free will contradict each other. Although I still believe that you can influence your fate, the definitions of each still seem somewhat shaky to me. I then find this: “Fate is the result of the past. Free will is the result of the present. ” This quote ties into my thesis, and allows me to understand more about fate and free will.

This question about fate vs. free will has been discussed countless amounts of times. Although I know my position, my position is not the only one on this matter. Playing off of Sophocles, some thinkers agree with the idea that Fate wins every time. Meaning people have no control over their destiny. Then there is the idea that Sophocles, who is presenting these questions, is wrong with the idea that fate wins every time. Meaning, from the play, one can infer that people really don’t have any control over their destiny, and that we do have the power to make choices to affect our destiny.

Lastly, there are those that opt for Sophocles last opinion: that we influence our fate, but Sophocles is wrong about that. Meaning, there are factors beyond our control, we don’t have the power to make choices that affect our destiny. This opinion ties into the play, and I can see why some people agree with this statement. The last opinion is taking the viewpoint that the gods have almighty power, and our meager position is not strong enough to influence something as powerful as destiny. Oedipus uses free will to make his own decisions. He told Creon that the killer of Lauis was to live in exile.

He refused to stop looking for the truth when Jocasta told him to, and he stabbed his eyes and blinded himself because he knew about his past. I think that all of these examples are free will because he did them by his own will; he wanted to make his own fate, not have somebody else control him. He was responsible of his own actions and that almost cost him his life, and led to his exile from Thebes. My opinion about fate is that sometimes things happen to you without controlling it and you can’t do anything about it. But with free will, you make your own decisions; if you make a mistake in your decision, then you have face the consequences.

The chorus concludes this tragedy by warning the Greeks that the only way to happiness is through humility and respect towards the gods. They also warn not to take anything for granted, or else suffer a fate like that of Oedipus. “Look, ye who dwell in Thebes. This man was Oedipus. That mighty king, who knew the riddle’s mystery, whom the entire city envied, fortune’s favorite. Behold, in the event, the storm of his calamities, and, being mortal, think on that last day of death, which all must see, and speak of no man’s happiness till, without sorrow, he hath passed the goal of life. ”

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Oedipus the King Free Will vs Fate

Oedipus the King is a play by Sophocles. Oedipus is born to King Laius and Queen Jocasta of Thebes. As an infant, Oedipus is prophesied to kill his father and marry his mother. In order to prevent this from happening, Oedipus is abandoned on a mountain. However, he is rescued and eventually adopted by the king and queen of Corinth. Oedipus grows up not knowing his true identity.

One day, Oedipus learns from a prophet that he is destined to kill his father and marry his mother. Horrified at this prospect, Oedipus sets out to find his real parents in the hope of avoiding this terrible fate. However, Oedipus eventually learns that he has indeed killed his father and married his mother. At this point, Oedipus can no longer avoid his fate.

While Oedipus may have tried to avoid his fate, ultimately it was impossible for him to do so. This is because fate is often beyond our control. We may think we know what is going to happen, but sometimes things happen that are out of our hands. In Oedipus’ case, even though he didn’t want to kill his father or marry his mother, he still ended up doing so because it was his destiny.

Fate is often seen as something that is predetermined and unavoidable. However, some people believe that we have the power to change our fate. This is known as free will.

Free will is the belief that we have the power to choose our own actions and destiny. This means that even if something is prophesied or destined to happen, we have the power to change it. In Oedipus’ case, if he had believed in free will, he could have chosen not to kill his father or marry his mother. But because he didn’t believe in free will, he thought that he was powerless to change his fate.

Whether you believe in fate or free will, Oedipus the King is a story that shows how our choices can lead us down a path that we may not have expected. It also shows how our destiny is often beyond our control.

The events in Oedipus the King, written by Sophocles, illustrate a man’s free will existing within the cosmic order or fate which Greeks believed guided the world in a pleasant aim. Man was free to choose and was ultimately held accountable for his own actions. Both fate and free will played an important role in Oedipus’ downfall. He was not enslaved by destiny, despite being a victim of it.

Oedipus’ destruction was not caused by fate, but by his own actions. Oedipus was a victim of his own choices, and he realized this. In Oedipus the King, Sophocles shows that although fate may dictate what will happen, it is ultimately up to the individual to make their own choices which will determine their fate.

Fate was something that everyone in Oedipus the King believed in. Fate is defined as a power or force that predetermines and orders events. The idea of fate was ingrained in Greek society and it was thought that one’s life was already planned out by the gods. It was believed that the gods had control over one’s life and destiny. This is seen when Oedipus is told by the oracle that he will kill his father and marry his mother.

Oedipus does not believe the prophecy and tries to change his fate. He leaves Corinth, thinking that if he never returns, then the prophecy will not come true. Oedipus’ actions show that he believes in free will and does not think that fate controls him. Oedipus’ choices lead him to his downfall, but it is not until after everything has happened that he realizes that his choices were what led to his destruction. Oedipus is a victim of fate, but he is also a victim of his own choices.

Oedipus was not a victim of fate, but rather he was a victim of his own choices. When Oedipus was born, his father, King Laius of Thebes, heard a prophecy that his newborn son would grow up to kill him and marry his wife, Queen Jocasta. To prevent this from happening, Laius ordered Oedipus’s feet to be pierced and tied together so he could never take another step. He then gave Oedipus to a shepherd with orders to leave him out in the mountains to die.

The shepherd felt pity for Oedipus and instead of following the king’s orders, he took Oedipus to Corinth where he was raised by King Polybus and Queen Merope, who were childless. Oedipus believed them to be his biological parents until he grew up and was told the truth about his origins.

While in Corinth, Oedipus heard a rumor that he was not the rightful heir to the throne of Corinth and that Polybus and Merope were not his real parents. Oedipus consulted the oracle at Delphi who confirmed that Oedipus was not only not the rightful king of Corinth, but also that he was destined to kill his father and marry his mother. Oedipus, horrified at what he had been told, decided to leave Corinth immediately in hopes of never fulfilling the prophecy.

Oedipus began taking steps that would lead to his downfall from the start of this tragedy. Oedipus could have waited for the epidemic to end, but he was moved by his misery and sent Creon to consult the Oracle at Delphi. When he heard about Apollo’s pronouncement, he might have calmly examined Laius’ murder, but out of haste, he furiously curses the killer before realizing it.

Oedipus’ actions are not fated, but his downfall is due to his choices and actions. Oedipus could have made different decisions, but fate still would have caught up to him in the end. Oedipus was not a victim of fate, but rather of his own choices.

Even though Oedipus was not a victim of fate, Sophocles shows that some things are out of our control. For example, Oedipus did not know he was adopted, and so he could not have known that he was fulfilling the prophecy by marrying his mother and killing his father. Oedipus did not choose his parents or his family, and so he cannot be held responsible for their actions. Oedipus is a victim of circumstance, but not of fate.

In Oedipus the King, Sophocles shows that neither free will nor fate is entirely to blame for Oedipus’ downfall. Oedipus makes choices throughout the play that lead to his downfall, but he is also a victim of circumstance. Oedipus is not a puppet of fate, but nor is he completely in control of his own destiny.

Oedipus was born to King Laius and Queen Jocasta of Thebes. prophecies foretold that Oedipus would grow up to kill his father and marry his mother. Laius was warned by an oracle about these events, so he had Oedipus’ feet pierced together and abandoned him on a mountainside.

Oedipus was saved by a shepherd who took him in and gave him to the king and queen of Corinth, where he was raised as their own son. Oedipus eventually learned of the prophecy that he would kill his father and marry his mother, so he left Corinth in order to avoid fulfilling it. On the road to Thebes, Oedipus killed a man who was trying to steal his cattle. Oedipus didn’t know at the time that this man was actually King Laius.

After Oedipus arrived in Thebes, he saved the city from a monstrous creature called the Sphinx by correctly answering her riddle. As a reward, Oedipus was made king of Thebes and married Jocasta, who was unaware that Oedipus was her son. Oedipus and Jocasta had four children together: two sons, Eteocles and Polynices, and two daughters, Antigone and Ismene.

The play begins with Oedipus learning from a messenger that Polybus, the king of Corinth and Oedipus’ adoptive father, has died. Oedipus is worried that the prophecy about him killing his father may come true, so he sends for the prophet Tiresias to find out what will happen. Tiresias tells Oedipus that he will kill his father and marry his mother, but Oedipus doesn’t believe him.

Jocasta tries to comfort Oedipus by telling him that many people have similar dreams that don’t come true. Oedipus still isn’t convinced, so he sends for Creon, Jocasta’s brother, to see if he can find out what happened to Laius. When Creon returns, he tells Oedipus that Laius was killed by a group of robbers. Oedipus is relieved, but he still wants to find the killer and bring him to justice.

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A Theme Of Fate Vs. Free Will In Oedipus Rex

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• Topic: Fate , Free Will , Oedipus Rex

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