Fate in Oedipus the King

Tragedy is the oldest form of drama in the western world. It generally deals with two particular points: fate and faith. This is especially the case in Greek tragedy. These plays always incorporate these two points, fate being that no matter what the main character or other characters try to do, their destiny is predetermined for them, and faith being that their storylines or moral values in the play are controlled by higher beings, usually the gods. However, despite the Greek notions of supreme power of the gods and fate, Oedipus' downfall is primarily the result of King Laius' and his own actions and attempts to defy the gods, consequently Sophocles says that prophecies from the gods of someone's fate should not be ignored. Prophecies from the Oracle of Delphi are told to King Laius and Queen Jocasta, and to Oedipus.

In Sophocles' play Oedipus the King , the roles of free will and destiny in human life come into question, and it seems that Sophocles took a direct standpoint on the answer. One interpretation of the play provides the notion that Sophocles was pointing out to his fellow Greeks the reality of human free will.

The question arises throughout the episodes of the play: Is it fate or autonomic decision-makin

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In each of the aforementioned examples - in the character attributes that led to individual choices and in the natural autonomous choices made by the characters - it becomes obvious that the events of the play were not predetermined at all.

Other instances in which Oedipus made choices directly linking him to the prophecy were at the points in which he killed Laius at the crossroads, and when he accepted the crown of Thebes. They solved the problem by removing Oedipus from the equation.

With the Oedipus the King text, Sophocles seemingly made it clear to his fellow Greeks that humankind has the ability, even with prophecies, to make choices free from the influence of divine forces. This aspect of the play seems most supportive of the idea that humans have the capacity to exert free will. Even as he draws nearer to the answer, and the others have long-since put the pieces together, Oedipus pushes beyond the comfort levels for the answer. g that determines the course of events in the life of Oedipus? To the Greeks, one aspect of this argument was the idea that the character of an individual greatly affected his or her fate in life.

This leaves the audience and readers of the play to wonder what might have happened had Jocasta and Laius never sent Oedipus to die as an infant. The choices they made were not rooted in their individual characters, but merely reactions to a situation that neither of them was prepared to deal with. Another example of the exertion of free will accounting for the course of events depicted in the play is in the actions of Jocasta and Laius. On the other hand, had Oedipus not listened to the prophecy suggested to him in Corinth, he never would have returned to Thebes to carry out his so-called destiny. In the former, Oedipus was by no means required to take the life of the man challenging him on the highway. Not with all my birth clues in my hands," (59). The choices that the characters made throughout their lives ultimately led to the downfall of each.

Approximate Word count = 948
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

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