Essay about Oedipus Do Not Try to Control Your Fate

â€Å"Every man has his own destiny: the only imperative is to follow it, to accept it, no matter where it leads him.† In other words, the connotation of this anonymous quote states that despite whatever one chooses to decide, the outcome of their choices and decisions will still result to their predetermined fate. Sophocles’ tragedy, Oedipus the King, demonstrates this statement throughout the play in the role of his tragic hero Oedipus. In the course of Oedipus’ actions of trying to escape his predestined fortune, his fate and flaws of being human played major roles to bring about his downfall. Oedipus’ doom was already predetermined by an Oracle at Delphi before the moment of his birth; thus, despite what choices the people who played a†¦show more content†¦In all likelihood, the fate of Oedipus would have been much different if his parents had decided to accept fate, rather than control it. Instead, their disregard of the prophecy and actions of escaping it had influenced in fulfilling it. Equally important to the role of fate in bringing about the downfall of Oedipus is the human flaw of arrogance that clouded Oedipus’ intellect to reason. One can ultimately see this human flaw in the beginning of the play as he says â€Å"Here I am myself – you all know me, the world knows my fame: I am Oedipus† (p 262, line 7-9). One day Oedipus heard someone say that he wasn’t his father’s son in which bothered him greatly and triggered his curiosity in whether Polybus and Merope were his biological parents. So, as a way to figure out his identity and true origins, he left to Delphi to see the Oracle. However, instead of answering Oedipus’ answer of who his true parents were, the Oracle told him of his fate that â€Å"You are fated to couple with your mother, you will bring a breed of children into the light no man can bear to see – you will kill your father the one who gave you life† (p. 297, lines 873-875). Hence, his arroga nce is clearly showed as he disregards the prophecy, similar to the actions of Laius and Jocasta by escaping it, as he abandons Corinth and sets forth to a place where he â€Å"would never see the shame of all those oracles come true† (p. 297, lines 879-880). His flaw ofShow MoreRelatedTheme Of Dramatic Irony In Oedipus1400 Words   |  6 PagesSophocles uses irony in his writing to prove only fate controls ones life and not free will. The dramatic irony asserting the reader that the prophecy had indeed come true before Oedipus even knows it further proves that fate controls the lives of mortals. Teiresias uses irony to proclaim to Oedipus â€Å"that with those you love best you live in foulest shame unconsciously and do not see where you are in calamity (633).Teiresias used dramatic irony by telling Oedipus how his life contains a path of shame yetRead 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 ofRead MoreInfluenced by Humans but Beyond Human Control: Fate in Oedipus767 Words   |  4 PagesFate; something that unavoidably befalls upon a person, fate is influenced by one’s own actions, but is ultimately dictated by events beyond human control. In this play Sophocles demonstrates the power of fate through certain situations that occur throughout the play which are uncontrollable. The gods preordained Oedipus’ future, with all its intricacies and landmarks which lead Oedipus on his quest to find his identity and the truth. Howev er, the path Oedipus â€Å"chooses† is simply a reaction to theRead MoreThe Global Positioning System ( Gps )935 Words   |  4 Pagesyou where your current location was and then it would pinpoint the destination you are trying to get to. The global positioning system would then give you different routes you could take, and give you an estimated time on how long each route could possibly take. Think of fate like the different routes you are given on your global positioning system. You have a bunch of options, but they all lead you to the same destination. When dealing with fate, it may seem like you are in control of your life, andRead MoreThe Importance Of Fate In Oedipus Rex777 Words   |  4 Pages Fate is known as a predetermined course of events that are beyond a person’s control. Those individuals that acclaim their fate are eventually granted happiness over those who deny and try to change it. For years cultural and religious groups have emphasized how importa nt trusting in your fate is. For example, Sophocles’ play entitled Oedipus Rex exemplifies the repercussions of what happens when you slap fate in the face. In Oedipus Rex, the main character, Oedipus tries to run from and changeRead MoreSimilar Ideas of Fate in Oedipus the King, by Sophocles and Crash527 Words   |  3 PagesThe play, Oedipus the King, by Sophocles, shares very similar ideas of fate as the movie Crash. Fate is the idea that the outcome of events are out of our control, that your life is predetermined. Both of these works use the idea that one cannot escape their fate, that it is set and nothing can change it. However, in Oedipus the King, Oedipus believes that he can escape or change his fate while the characters in Crash do not even try to. In the play, Oedipus the King, Oedipus believes that he canRead MoreFate vs Free Will1663 Words   |  7 PagesOedipus The King: Fate Vs. Free Will 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 theRead MoreFate and Freewill in Oedipus the King Essay819 Words   |  4 Pages In the play Oedipus Rex, it shows many different forms of fate and freewill. Fate is a word that can be defined in many different ways. Fate can affect a persons life in many different ways. Oedipuss fate ruined his life and lead him to a horrible death. Antigones life was also thrown out to the hand of fate. Neither one of them had any freewill in there lifetime, all of there lives were based upon the fate that the gods handed to them. Both of these elements, fate and freewill, play aRead More Fate Versus Free Will Essay1746 Words   |  7 PagesFate Versus Free Will Fate, as described in the Oxford English Dictionary, is â€Å"The principle, power, or agency by which, according to certain philosophical and popular systems of belief, all events, or some events in particular, are unalterably predetermined from eternity.† To the western world, fate is perceived as â€Å"a sentence or doom of the gods† (Oxford). They often sought prophecies of the gods, especially from Apollo, the god of knowledge. The Greeks would seek prophecies usually whenRead MoreUnderstanding Fate in Oedipus Tyrannos1196 Words   |  5 Pagesthe personages. It is the case in the play Oedipus Tyrannos. The play, written by Sophocles, represents the typical Greek view of the world with all the values that the Greeks wanted to show. This play is probably the best example to represent the typical tragic hero, in that case Oedipus. The dominant theme that Sophocles wanted to demonstrate in the play was the concept of fate and how nobody was able to escape it, not even the most prestigious people. Fate was extremely important for the Greeks because