The Gods, Fate, and Sophocles? Oedipus the King
In Ancient Greece, there was a dominant belief of fate and also a belief about the existence of gods reigned. In Oedipus the King by Sophocles, these topics are discussed. What the reader receives is a clear insight into Sophocles? idea about fate and the gods. The concepts of gods and fate were created to explain life?s unexpected surprises. In Ancient Greece a lot was not understood; science was merely an infant and everything that happened was explained as an act of the gods or fate. Gods were the pinnacle of power; existing since the dawn of time. They were immortal, omnipresent, and omnipotent. Different gods had different personalities. In this sense, the gods were anthropomorphic. Having such mastery of the world would enable them to control man's behavior. Making fate such a large part of the play is an expression of the Greek's idea that fate controls us no matter how hard we struggle against it. This idea is shown in Oedipus Rex. Fate is the idea that people's lives are predetermined and that no matter what is done, fate cannot be changed. With the gods it was used to explore events that seemed unexplainable. Sophocles explores this by explaining Oedipus' fate. Fate is a compelling idea. Regardless of how hard Oedipus
He has not considered that the gods are in control of all things and therefore must have helped him defeat the Sphinx. There may also be some grief from the motherly instinct and knowing her son is also suffering immeasurable grief. In no clearer way could Oedipus dispute the words of the gods. It is clear that a betrayal of the god's dominance resulted in Laius? and Jocasta?s education. Oedipus is the victim of both fate and circumstance. Here is evidence of the Greek theories, which contempt for the gods leads to pain and suffering. As a result he is punished in a way that is more severe than even death. There is also the fact of knowing that his mother is suffering terrible pain. Oedipus experiences great grief when he looks back and realizes how much he has fallen from his former perch of power. This end is not only ironic but also cruel. Arachne was so apt at weaving that she challenged the god Athene to a contest. Of all the suffering in the play, Oedipus by far bears the most pain. Again knowing his children will suffer troubles him. The pain of incest is the sheer disgust in knowing that his brothers were his sons, his sisters were his daughters and his wife was his mother.
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