Free Will In Sophocles Oedipus Rex

I have chosen to direct the play Oedipus Rex, by Sophocles. Through this play I want to focus on the themes of limitations on free will along with the willingness to ignore the truth and the feelings of guilt and shame. The prophecy which leads to the banishing of Oedipus by Laius and Oedipus running away from Corinth play a key role in fulfilling the central conflict of the play. The main conflict occurs when Tiresias informs Oedipus that he is responsible for the plague that has fallen over Thebes, to which Oedipus blatantly refuses at first. The conflict is resolved during the moment in which Oedipus realizes that contrary to his beliefs, he is the person who is responsible for plague. The man he killed at the beginning of the play was none …show more content…
A self-fulfilling prophecy is when a person unknowingly causes a prediction to come true, just by the fact that he or she expected it to come true. In the play, if Laius and Jocasta had not feared the prophecy and abandoned Oedipus as a child, and if Oedipus had not feared the prophecy so much that he decided to leave Corinth then the prophecy could have been averted. If he was raised by Laius and Jocasta, he would have known his parents and would have not tried to kill his father. This story is a great lesson for what happens when we let our fears take over our ability to make logical decisions. It shows how one should confront issues instead of avoiding them as they will always come back to haunt you later …show more content…
He has the physical characteristics that would fit the role of a king along with previous work experience as a Greek demigod in Hercules. He has a strong screen presence, so it will be easy for the audience to build a relation with him on stage to invoke the catharsis that I have been emphasizing. As Jocasta, I would like to cast Julia Roberts. One of the main reasons was when I first read this question, she was the first actress to pop in my mind and I usually like to go with my gut instincts. I also did further research on her and found that she has done a Broadway play Three Days of Rain, for which she was praised so I feel confident in casting her as Jocasta. As Laius, I would cast Gary Oldman, because he is a versatile actor. I think he has some strong personality traits to portray the role of a former king. Lastly, as Tiresias I would cast Morgan Freeman, because he is someone who usually plays the role of a narrator or a wise personality in most movies so if anyone would have to tell Oedipus that he is the reason for the plague, I would want it to be Morgan