Free Will In Oedipus The King Essay

An integral human question entailing both the upbringings or tragic flaws of folk heroes is a person’s perspective of free will; whether or not we weave the tapestries to our own fates, or does an omnipotent deity in the sky select our lives outcome before the day we are conceived? Maybe? Maybe not? Regardless, one retelling of a theory of destiny, Oedipus Rex, puts into question this notion of preordained fate. Not unlike most other stories, Oedipus Rex opens with a prophecy: that Oedipus is to murder his father, sire children with his own mother, and gouge out his own eyes. In spite of a soothsayer’s foretelling, the cast of Oedipus Rex endeavor to alter the course of destiny, though - with little avail - do their efforts take them off the beaten path, rather, it lead them to their clandestine destiny. …show more content…
But, for point of reference, what if a soothsayer prognosticated the scene of your death but abstained from mentioning names, using only titles like mother and father. This would incite even more paranoia, to start doubting those around you - even your own parents. In Laius case he heeded the warning of the soothsayer, taking preemptive measure to disavow his child, deserting him to become wolf chow. Yet, in spite of all his meddling, destiny accommodated accordingly and spared the life of the prophesied child. Now whether this was done by the grace and amiability of a shepherd's heart, or the influence of an unseen force, is up for debate. And this debate - if ever yielding a definitive answer - would answer the question of free will - the ability to forge one's own