Oedipus Fate Vs Free Will Essay, Research Paper
Oedipus the King, was written by Sophocles between C.A.496-406B.C. In this drama, Oedipus is a great illustration of Sophocles? belief that destiny will command a adult male? s life no affair how much free will exists.
Oedipus is a adult male of indefatigable finding and doggedness, but one who must larn through the working out of a awful prognostication that there are forces beyond any adult male? s conceptualisation or control. Oedipus? actions were determined before his birth, yet Oedipus? actions are wholly determined by the Supreme beings who control him wholly. In the beginning of this calamity, Oedipus took many actions taking to his ain ruin. He tried to get away Corinth when he learned of the prognostications that were supposed to take topographic point in his life. Alternatively, he fell right into the trap of the anticipation by inadvertently killing his male parent and subsequently get marrieding his female parent. By making this, he proved that his life was predetermined by destiny and there was nil he could make to alter it. He could hold waited for the pestilence to stop, but out of compassion for his agony people, he had Creon travel to Delphi to plead before Apollo to alleviate the expletive of the pestilence. Alternatively of look intoing the slaying of the former King Lauis, Oedipus took affairs into his ain custodies and cursed the liquidator, now the expletive would consequence him every bit good, because he was the 1 who killed Lauis.. “ Now my cursed on the liquidator, /Whoever he is, entirely adult male unknown in his offense or one among many, allow that adult male drag out his life in torment, measure by painful step- I curse myself every bit good as & # 8230 ; if by any opportunity he proves to be an confidant of our house, here at my fireplace, with my full know shelf, may the expletive I merely called down on him strike me! ” ( 606 ) .
Oedipus doesn? t realize T
he personal effects his Hunt for the liquidator will hold for him, and his trueness to the truth is based on his ignorance. His pride, ignorance and grim pursuit for the truth finally contributed to his devastation. An illustration is when Oedipus was told [ after endangering Tiresias ] , that he was responsible for the slaying of Laius. He became angered and called the old prophet a prevaricator. However, Oedipus thought he could outwit the Gods, but in fact, his every action moved him closer to the prophesy going a world. Upon find of the truth of his birth from the herder, Oedipus calls, “ O God all come true, all explosion to visible radiation! /O visible radiation now allow me look my last on you! /I base revealed at last curst in my birth, cursed in matrimony, cursed in the lives I cut down with these custodies ” . ( 631 ) . Oedipus knew that his destiny had so come to go through and feels cursed by it. Oedipus was guilt, of killing his male parent and get marrieding his female parent. He punishes himself for the wickednesss he committed by force outing out his eyes. The true wickedness is when he attempts to raise himself to the degree of the Gods by seeking to get away his destiny. Oedipus is accepting the full load of his Acts of the Apostless and knows that he must be punished for his wickednesss. Therefore, this last act of force outing out his eyes was the consequence of Oedipus? free will and his tragic destiny came approximately because every wickedness must be punished.
Sophocles feels that a individual has no control over the class of his life. No affair how much free will Oedipus had in commanding his life, destiny had already taken control. Therefore, destiny is proved to be inevitable. Oedipus is one drama that is held together by the fact that destiny is more powerful than anyone? s free will. Fate is the one true immorality & # 8211 ; everything that happens is someway meant to be, and free will can non alter it.
