Oedipus Free Will Research Paper

As human beings it is our fate that determines where we end up… or are we liable for where we end up? Perhaps we are in control or maybe our destiny is already determined. How can we be so sure? Our everyday agendas are said to be predestined or meditated in a sense. Are they really…or is that what we believe? Fate is what is destined to transpire or a “supernatural occurrence” so to speak. Free will is self explanatory; it is determined by oneself as opposed to some hierarchy power. It is said that what we are, what we’ll become, what our life will consist of, who we’ll be in later life, and even troubles we’ll experience in our lifetime, is preordained. For instance, if I am told I will become the number one doctor in the United States, …show more content…
As the topic of free will evolves, Oedipus makes efforts to abolish the fact that he is about to commit a crime against his own. Oedipus runs away, blinds himself, and etc to hide from society and to not witness the dangers of which he has caused. If this is in fact a destiny then why did Oedipus commit a self harming act (Dodds 183)? Was blinding himself a part of prophesy by the Gods or was this again an act of free will? As we closely review Oedipus Rex we are almost safe enough to say that fate has ruled Oedipus’ life. Though we know that there were a few free willed attempts events still occurred as prophesized. Rather unknowingly Oedipus kills King …show more content…
In a moment of impulsive anger Oedipus kills Laius, ignorant both to the beginning of the Oracle's prophecy and the identity of his victim: "I strike him in anger! - and the old man, watching me coming up along his wheels - he brings down his prod, two prongs straight at my head!" (946). With these lines, the audience learns that both Oedipus and King Laius are quick to anger and act, a quality that will destroy Oedipus in the long run, and a fact that foreshadows his discovery of his victim's familial relation (McHugh