Power Of Fate In Oedipus The King

Words: 574

Pages: 3

Open Document

Power of fate Oedipus fate went from bad to worse.

In the play Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, there is a man named Oedipus the king of Thebes. Thebes has a terrible plague, started by the gods as punishment until the former king Laius's murder is banished. Tiresias a blind seer for Apollo says Oedipus is wound in the city. Oedipus thinks Tiresias and Creon was plotting to steal the throne. Oedipus banishes Creon, Jocasta tries calming him down and tells him about her and Tiresias curse. Oedipus finds out that he killed Laius and that Jocasta is his mom. Jocasta killed herself, Oedipus takes the pins from her robe and stabbed out his eyes then gets banished by Creon. At the beginning of the play Oedipus had his future predicted and didn't even know it.
Apollo tells Oedipus an oracle as a young man “ you will marry your mother and spawn a generation of rejected children by mankind, and kill your father! (17)” Oedipus leaves his home trying to stop this from happening. He then becomes king then Thebes becomes cursed. Creon reads an oracle by Apollo saying “ a wound eats at the heart of our city a wound that has been allowed to grow and fester inside Thebes. Apollo Commands us to purge the city! …show more content…
The years have found you, my king, and now they condemn this unholy marriage from which you were born and in which you gave birth. (27)” Jocasta out of pity and shame killed herself. Oedipus runs in to see her corps. The attendant says as Oedipus is in there “ Oedipus strains to open the palace doors, to expose that he is the murderer of his own father, Polybus, and his mother, Jocasta. He says he’ll throw himself out of this land, an exile, fallen into the grips of his own curses. (28)” Creon has become the new king Creon says “ I must find out what I should do(30)” meaning ask the gods Oedipus was surprised by Creon's actions but Oedipus still was banished later

computer systema Essay

play Oedipus Rex, the main character, Oedipus, struggles to maintain power over opposing forces that surround him. He wrestles with both the power of other beings and fate, a major aspect of the plays twists. Using the man v. man struggles shows the nature of Oedipus, while the conflict between free will and fate exemplifies the individuals inability to change the future. From the beginning of the play, Oedipus greed for power is seen in his paranoid state of mind. When he hears that King Laios…

Words 602 - Pages 3

Oedipus The King Theme Essay

Oedipus the King Many themes can be deciphered from “Oedipus the King.” In Sophocles “Oedipus the King” the themes of fate and free will are very strong throughout the play. Memories of the past is also a central theme of the story. Power is as well a recurring theme that Oedipus allows to consume him. Each of these themes can be related to different aspects of modern day America. Fate and free will is the main theme that is analyzed when “Oedipus the King” is discussed. Oedipus stubbornly believes…

Words 481 - Pages 2

Ambiguity In Oedipus The King

Ambiguity held in Fate Flaws are what we have in common with each other, and all characteristics that make us human. The Ancient Greek believed the gods, would modify a man’s character for the inevitable fate as they were believers of fate. Sophocles, In Oedipus the King examines how Oedipus believes that he is infallible and god-like through the usage of characterization,and power and relief diction which ultimately leads to his tragic downfall. Our character is our mental and moral…

Words 552 - Pages 3

The Power Of Free Will In Oedipus The King

Power is strength. To have power is to be strong. Being able to choose what it is you want to do or say without anyone telling you is the power of free will. Fate, the opposite, is chosen for you without any control over what will happen next. Fate is chosen by a higher power or a higher being. According to Mr. House fate is a development of a events beyond a person’s control, regarded as determined by a supranational power (personal communication). In the story Oedipus, his fate was already planned…

Words 677 - Pages 3

Is Oedipus a Victim of Fate? Essay

Fate the un-avoidable Throughout the vast history of literature, various concepts have come and gone. The idea of fate or fatalism has been a concept that has survived the test of time. Numerous characters have succumbed to the power of fate and the character of Oedipus from Sophocles’ Oedipus the King is a prime example of the vast power of fate within literature. Sophocles effectively depicts the wrath of fate as he portrays how Oedipus fell victim to fate and his efforts to disregard fate were…

Words 944 - Pages 4

Fate In Sophocles 'Oedipus The King'

Fate is the development of events beyond a person's control, regarded as determined by a supernatural power. In the novel “Oedipus the King” written by Sophocles, Oedipus, the son of Laius and Jocaste, attempted to not fulfill his prophecy of killing his father and sleeping with his mother, This was caused by fate because by trying to avoid his prophecy, it made it easier for himself to accomplish it. Also, when Oedipus murdered Laius, he was not aware that he had killed his own father, committing…

Words 424 - Pages 2

Irony in Oedipus the King Essay

THE TRAGEDY OF OEDIPUS Tragedy, in English, is a word used to indicate other words such as misfortune, calamity, disaster and many more such words. However, this word has another dramatic meaning, not far from its original meaning in English. In Western theatre it is a genre that presents a heroic or moral struggle of an individual that leads to his or her ultimate defeat or misfortune. When the audience and reader share the playwright's particular social perception and social values they easily…

Words 2277 - Pages 10

Oedipus Rex Fate Vs Free Will

Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex was written during the Greek era, at which time, it was a strong belief of the Greeks that one’s life was fated by the gods. Thus, the Greeks assumed that fate denied one’s use of free will. However, there were those who doubted the authority of the gods, and therefore the relevance of fate in their lives. In answer to this, Sophocles, a true believer in Greek lore, composed Oedipus Rex to present the helplessness of humanity when confronted by the gods through Oedipus, the tragic…

Words 1365 - Pages 6

Oedipus Rex Essay

Oedipus Rex: Question 1 Oedipus Rex is considered one of the greatest tragic plays to come from any of the ancient Greek playwrights as its lessons mirror societal troubles of the era. It projects certain cultural values and morals onto the Athenian audience of the time through many different tragic conventions. Sophocles, the writer, was born near Athens between 497 and 495 BC and is considered a conservative as all his plays supported the idea of a polytheistic society and that we should not…

Words 1818 - Pages 8

Oedipus Unstoppable Fate

Unstoppable Fate of Man Fate is something every man is born with. Nevertheless, fate is the planned future ahead of each individual person. From the moment we are conceived, it is said that our future has already been planned. Likewise, the Greeks believed that the gods created fate for all men, an unavoidable obstacle, no person could prevent, nor change. Many, including Oedipus, tried to outsmart their own fate, only to find out it's not possible. Fate has a big role in the story of Oedipus. Oedipus…

Words 559 - Pages 3