Fate In Sophocles And Oedipus At Colonus By Robert Fagles

This paper is based on the book Sophocles, the Three Theban plays: Antigone, Oedipus the King, Oedipus at Colonus, translated by Robert Fagles. It will principally focus on the first two plays where two main characters Oedipus and Antigone are put forward. Fate, a very present factor in these plays, has impacted the life of both characters. This analysis will consist in identifying first how fate shapes Oedipus and Antigone’s lives. Also, it will respond to the question on whether fate remove one’s responsibility while acting. To begin with, Oedipus’ play starts with the supplications of the people of Thebes to Oedipus, the king. In fact, victims of plague, the population wants the king to solve the epidemic of plague they face, as he solved problems in the past. His first action as a king is to request a prophecy from the gods to know how the city could be saved. This act shows the importance of the gods in the city at that time. “(…) I’ll be a traitor if I do not do all the god makes clear.”, said …show more content…
However, we can notice that actions were very important in these plays. For example, Oedipus did not escape from the fact that he killed his father Laius, since the consequences of this act was the plague on the city. Even though he did not know that Laius was his father, he paid for the simple fact that killing is immoral. Behind fate, the aspect of moral virtues should be considered. I think people are free to believe in fate or not. Yet, there should be no excuses for acting wrongly on purpose because everyone has the faculty to discern good and evil. It means that everyone is responsible for its own actions. Creon was responsible for its unwise decisions which lead to the suicide of Antigone, his son and his wife. However, things would completely be different only if Creon acted differently. Also, Oedipus would end differently if he did not kill