Oedipus: An Exploration of Fate - Research Paper Example

Oedipus: An Exploration of Fate Oedipus the King is one of the Athenian tragedies that have attracted a lot of attention from many authors for its dramatic dimension. The drama revolves around King Oedipus, who was, since birth, fated to kill his father and marry his mother, a prophesy that could not be changed. Even after the father of Oedipus decides to kill his son to avoid this wrath, Oedipus survives and fulfills the prophesy of the oracle. In his capacity, when he learns that his foster parents are not his real parents, he decides to inquire from the oracle about his parents. When the oracle denies him the truth about his parents and makes the same prophesy to him, he tries his best to avoid this fate by acting soberly to avoid such an incident. However, he is surprised to learn that the same fate that he avoids is tied to him only after he kills his father and marries his mother. There arises a great conflict between fate and the free will of a person; although all parties have the free will to avoid evil. This paper will explain how Oedipuss fate was doomed from birth, the roles that the fate plays in Oedipus and the fate versus free will of Oedipus. The gods of Thebes fixed Oedipus’ fate even before his birth. Sophocles (1) notes that an oracle visited King Laius and Queen Jocasta of Thebes after the birth of Oedipus and passed a message to the King that he would die by the hand of his son. Consequently, the king decided to kill the son so that he would avoid the illfate prophesied by the oracle. To do this, he orders his wife to kill the infant, a role that she quickly passes to their servant. However, the servant decided not to kill the child and left him on the mountain to die not by his hand but exposure. However, luck appears to be on his side when a servant saves him and takes him to a barren couple. Since the king of Corinth, Polybus, did not have a child, he decides to raise Oedipus as his son(Sophocles 10). From a critical point of view, fate seems control the turn of events as Oedipus ends up surviving the wrath of his father and ending up in the hands of another king. Everything seems to work in a way that the words of the oracle come to happen. When Oedipus learns that he is not a true son of the King of Corinth, he sets out on a mission to search for his parents. When he visits the Delphic oracle, the oracle avoids his question and instead prophesies that Oedipus would kill his father and marry his father. While this ill fate seems to be an unbelievable nightmare for Oedipus, there seems to be a lot of consistency in the two prophesies of the oracles. On his free will, he is determined to avoid this bad fate by fleeing from Corinth to avoid killing Merope and Polybus, who made him believe that they were his real parents (Sophocles 12). However, his fate to kill his father happens in the most unexpected manner. On his way out of Corinth towards Thebes, he meets with his father and an argument emerges on whose horse should have its way. When the King of Thebes decides to strike at the young man, Oedipus quickly throws him off the horse and kills him, not knowing that he is killing his father. It is unfortunate that no matter how much effort the characters put to avoid their bad fate, somehow fate catches up with the in the most unexpected circumstances. In a similar way, the ill fate of Oedipus to marry his father happens in the uncontrollable circumstances. Shortly after unknowingly killing his father, Oedipus unravels a riddle that had defeated wisest men of Thebes.Solving the riddle of the Sphinx was significant to prevent a curse that would befall this kingdom. AfterOedipus had solved this riddle,the people rewarded him with kingship and the hand of queen Jocasta for marriage (Sophocles15). He willingly accepted this award not knowing that he was marrying his true mother, thus fulfilling prophesies of the oracles. It appears awkward that Oedipus fate happens without his conscience or acceptance. While he does everything in his capacity to avoid the bad fate, this fate trails behind him wherever he goes. In fact, after occupying the kingship, he is confident to pursue the murderer of the king of Thebes. When a curse befalls his kingdom, he is determined to seek a cure for this curse to ensure that his people are well. The oracle of Delphi tells Creon, Oedipus’ brother-in-law, that the curse emanates from the fact that the murderer of King Laius was still unknown. When the blind prophet accuses Oedipus of the offense of killing the former king, Oedipus dismisses as a false accusation. At the denouement of the whole drama, the shepherd who rescued Oedipus on the mountain, under threat of execution, reveals the true story. He reveals that indeed Oedipus was the son of Laius, the same man that he killed, and Jocasta, the same woman he married. It disgusts how these unfortunate events have haunted his whole life without his knowledge. In frustration, he injures his eyes with the same pins that her mother used to ties her clothes soon after he realizes that she has committed suicide. He feels unfortunate that even he, the king of a great kingdom would suffer such a curse. Out of shame, he feels that he in unworthy to be the king and asks that the people exile him from Thebes(Sophocles18). From a close observation, it is clear that Oedipus fate was fixed and no amount of effort would be adequate to help him out this wrath. All the words of the gods turn out real despite Oedipus and his father’s efforts to evade this family curse. The conflict of fate and free will are issues that have generated a lot of attention in many literary works. While some communities have defied the words of gods and considered them as mere utterances that human beings can escape from, others have shown that it is impossible for human beings to run away from the fate of the gods. In the story of Oedipus, the words of the gods do not hinder the free will of his father to kill this child. In fact, Oedipus had the free will to choose whether to keep the son or to kill him. Had he killed Oedipus, rather than passing the task to his wife, he would have avoided the fate that later befalls them. Unfortunately, it is his free will,that the mother kills the child, which paves the way for the propagation of the curse of the gods (Worthen 17-25). Finally, fate sees the child saved by a shepherd who later hands him to the father. Secondly, when Oedipus visits the god of Delphi in search the identity of his parents, the oracle proclaims the same curse to him. In his free will, he decides to leave Corinth to avoid killing his father and marrying his mother. When he met with his father on a chariot, he had the free will to kill the man or let him live. However, he chooses to kill him, hence fulfilling the same fate that he intends to avoid. A question arises as to whether fate or free will is stronger in the life of Oedipus. From the point of a critical observer, Oedipus ill fate is much stronger than his father’s or his free will. The personal choices that the two characters make in some way are synchronized to fulfill his fate that seems to be fixed right from the time he was born (Worthen23). The decision of Oedipus father to kill him to avoid the curse paves way for him to move out of the family and conceal his identity that it would be easy for him to kill the father and marry his mother without realizing their identity. If the father had decided to keep his son, this would probably not have happened. On the other, Oedipus’ decision to move from Corinth aids in fulfilling the unfortunate curse (Sophocles 4). He ends up killing his father, an action that would be unlikely if he had opted to remain in Corinth. It is surprising how he solves the riddle that even the divinities of Thebes had failed to solve, which leads him to marry his mother. The fate of Oedipus seems to control his free will that whatever choices he makes turn out to guide him into the same trap that he intends to escape. Analysis of the story of Oedipus leads to the idea that the gods fixed his fate right from his birth and that no amount of free will would change this fate. This fate shapes his destiny in everything that he does. This story ties to the myths that claim that fate is sealed and no amount of effort that can change fate. The historical perspective of this story is the belief in gods within the traditional kingdom of Thebes. The people believed that oracles were wise people and their words were venerable(Gould 478-525).The oracles had the power to prophesy the future of a person, either good or bad, and there is little that human beings could do to come around. While some literary works have painted kings who have failed due to their personal decisions, it is clear that Oedipus failure is not a consequence of his actions but a predetermined fate. This dramatic tragedy has formed the basis for analyzing the various historical beliefs of the people of Thebes. Aristotle commends the work of Sophocles as the exemplary drama that expresses the ideal sense of attic tragedy. A counter argument has argued on the negative connotations that undermine the greatness of Oedipus the king. First, authors condemn Oedipus for his inability to make well-thought decisions (Gould 478-525). The idea is that his rushed decisions ended him into his predetermined fate. For instance, he made a quick decision to kill his Laius only to realize later that he had committed patricide. Quickly, he accepts the offer to marry Jocasta even without any effective consideration. In addition, his idea to run away from Corinth is a rushed decision that was misinformed. It is these rushed decisions that sent Oedipus to fulfill his fate, which he would have avoided if he had made due considerations for each step. However, it is still clear that the main reasonhe made these decisions was to avoid the ill fate that the oracle to prophesied to him. Either way, his fate seems to have been sealed, and his tragedies had to pass in spite of any path he followed. In conclusion, the story of Oedipus the king shows how fate overcomes the free will of human beings. The predetermined fate of the Oedipus family happens despite the efforts of the father and the son to escape from the tragedy prophesied by the oracle. The father decides to kill the son, but Oedipus ends up in another kingdom. When Oedipus runs away from Corinth to avoid killing his father and marrying his father, he ends up perpetrating the same crimes in the most unexpected circumstances. Although he seems to make rushed decisions, it is clear his fate was predetermined, and his free will could not change this destiny. Works Cited Gould, Thomas. "The Innocence of Oedipus: The Philosophers on" Oedipus the King". Part III." Arion (1966): 478-525. Sophocles. Oedipus the King. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2012. Print. Worthen, William B. The Wadsworth Anthology of Drama. Boston, Mass. [u.a.: Thomson / Wadsworth, 2004. Print. Read More