Oedipus Victim Of Fate Essay - 876 Words

Is Oedipus a victim of fate or does he possess free will? Explain your reasoning. Do you think free will is a reality or an allusion? I find Oedipus to be a victim of fate rather than having free will. â€Å"()†. Free will could be seen to be more of an illusion than a reality. People and society like to make you think you have control over your own life while in you really do not. While it seems he could have tried harder maybe vowing to never sleep with a women or to never kill a man but is what the play wanted you to think (). He was born damned, to suffer due to his given destiny. Man is to weak to change fate found in this quote by Teiresias â€Å"...the wretch Who murdered Laius--that man is here. He passes for an alien in the land But soon†¦show more content†¦This flaw was his ultimate downfall in (). Merely being human can be a fatal flaw to Oedipus in that he carries himself like a god but was hit by (). His quick temper(). The motif of blindness is used rampantly throughout Oedipus Rex. In what ways was Oedipus blind? In what ways are we (society, individuals) blind? Do we want to see? Oedipus was blind in the ways of the true life he was living and the (). No one wants to really see the ugly truth, in modern day society we hid it omelas can also be an example of this with the abused boy hidden away. His determination is another thing which blinds him. Aristotle considered Oedipus to be the penultimate tragic hero. Obviously his situation is tragic, but is he truly heroic? If so, how? If not, why not? I do not consider Oedipus to be heroic in any sense. He may have perceived himself as a hero with his inflated ego and gave off the sense he cared so much for his people holds up nothing when comparing his actions to his words. Actions speak louder than words and within the play he speaks a lot to feed his ego and generate a mask of care towards his people while all he apparently did in the past was answer the riddle of the sphinx which leaned more to self serving in that it made him the king. The main problem of the plague within Thebes which begins this story ultimately becomes a selfish quest as well in the sense that he was uncoveringShow MoreRelatedIs Oedipus a Victim of Fate? Essay962 Words   |  4 PagesFate 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 wereRead MoreOedipus the King: A Victim of Fate Essay956 Words   |  4 PagesOedipus the King would not have been successful throughout centuries as a tragic play, if Oedipus were clearly responsible for his own tragedy. The plays ongoing success was do to Oedipus innocence which immediately makes one think he can not be fully responsible and to blame. I do not believe Sophocles would have wrote the story, or I do not think people would have ever read it or studied it had it simply been a story of a criminals retribution. Sophocles himself believed Oedipus to be the innocentRead MoreOedipus: Victim of Fate or He Deserves What He Got? Essay538 Words   |  3 PagesFate is the development of events beyond a persons control, regarded as determined by a supernatural power. It is a very common theme used in literature. 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It may be concluded, however, that man has free will and is ultimately held responsible for his own actions.    Oedipus destruction was brought about by a combination of fate and freeRead More Destiny, Fate, Free Will and Free Choice in Oedipus the King - Driven by Fate1105 Words   |  5 PagesThe Role of Fate in Oedipus Rex Before we approach this complex question inductively, we are at first obliged to contemplate what definitions and assumptions are being made. This essay, perhaps more so than others, requires a more extensive look at this aspect of the question, because of the sheer variety of possible responses. However, I now have reduced them to three possibilities. Firstly, we could make the assumption that perhaps as destiny controls all fates, then Oedipus character wasRead MoreOedipus The King The Concept Of Fate Came Up All Through The Play1302 Words   |  6 Pagesto deal with a person’s fate. There will be obstacles that may deter a person’s future. It can likewise make a man so focused on his needs that they may have, which will later result in disappointment to the people around them. People are neglectful in the decisions they make because they are sure that if they get what they need, joy will undoubtedly be inevitable for them. The same fate had happened to Sophocles pro tagonist Oedipus the king, who had tried to avoid his fate by running away, but eventuallyRead MoreTo What Extent are ‘Othello’ and Oedipus Rex Perfect Examples of Tragedy1149 Words   |  5 Pagesmisfortune comes about because of his jealousy, trust, and his pride. This essay aims to look at, and compare, how Shakespeare wrote his tragedy, and how other tragedies are written. I will mainly compare ‘Othello’, for Shakespearean tragedy, and ‘Oedipus Rex’, by Sophocles, for classical tragedy. Classical tragedy is one of the most popular sorts of tragedy. The main ideas of classical tragedies include pity and fear for the victim; downfall from a high position for the main character. They usuallyRead MoreOedipus The King : Dramatic Irony Greatly Influenced The Audience s Perception Of Oedipus1017 Words   |  5 PagesLiterary Essay Tenzin.Youden In Sophocles’ play â€Å"Oedipus the King†, dramatic irony greatly influences the audience’s perception of Oedipus. When creating Oedipus the King, Sophocles understood that his audience would know the outcome of the play before the completion, so he was determined to create a play, which was interesting, yet deliberately revealing at the same time. Sophocles purposely provided explicit scenes withinRead More tragoed The Tragic Figure of Oedipus the King (Oedipus Rex)923 Words   |  4 PagesTragic Figure of Oedipus Rex  Ã‚     Ã‚   Sophocles is perhaps one of the greatest tragedians ever. Sophocles said that a man should never consider himself fortunate unless he can look back on his life and remember that life without pain. For Oedipus Rex, looking back is impossible to do without pain. This pain stems from his prideful life. Oedipus is aware that he alone is responsible for his actions. Oedipus freely chooses to pursue and accept his own lifes destruction. Even though fate victimizes OedipusRead MoreSophocles Oedipus The King1387 Words   |  6 PagesAs I stated in a previous essay, Oedipus The King is a play by Sophocles which belongs to the genre of tragedy and focuses on a man named Oedipus, king of a place called Thebes, and his efforts to put an end to a plague that has devastated the city. He believes that in order to put an end to the plague, he must find the man that murdered the previous king of Thebes; a man by the name of Laius (Sophocles pg.8-10). Prophecy plays an important role in thi s play and as Oedipus’ investigation progresses