This literary study will critically analyze the theme of fate in Oedipus Rex by Sophocles. The theme of fate in Oedipus Rex is defined through The Oracle’s declaration that Oedipus has had sexual intercourse with his mother and murdered his father. The royal court’s seer, Teiresias, informs Oedipus of the oracle’s findings, which the raging king adamantly refuses to accept as fact. In this case, Oedipus losses all of his wisdom and good judgment, since he has no prior knowledge of actually committing such acts. However, Oedipus had unknowingly slept with his mother and killed his father, which becomes known at the end of the plot. Oedipus fights with a grim determination to counter the validity of The Oracle, but he has been fated to fall from
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This response is crucial to understanding the limitations of Oedipus as a “man”, since he thinks himself as being above any type of criminal behavior. Oedipus then blatantly insults Teiresias on the charges of being a “polluter of the land”, since he has convinced himself that this is a false accusation without any basis in truth: “Vile slanderer, thou blurtest forth these taunts,/And think’st forsooth as seer to go scot free (Sophocles 24). In critical terms, Oedipus’ own ego cannot accept the fate handed down to him by the oracle, which exposes the idea that he is the victim of some sort of “confidence trick”: “At least it is if after stripping it down we persuade ourselves that we have been a victim of a confidence trick” (Bloom 5). Bloom’s (1988) analysis of Oedipus’ own personal shock at the charges of patricide and incest define the limitations of mortal men, since it illustrates the realization that Oedipus may have been living a lie in terms of his role as kingly hero of Thebes. However, Teiresias responds to Oedipus with a calm knowing, regardless of the threat brought before him: “Yea, I am free, strong in the strength of truth” (Sophocles 24). This …show more content…
Oedipus is shocked to hear of The Oracle’s declaration of his crimes, which provides him with many opportunities to understand his limitations as a mortal human being. In contrast to the deification of himself as a great hero and king, he then begins to understand the nonnegotiable role of fate that is dictated by the Gods through mouthpiece of the Oracle: “O Wealth and empiry and skill by skill, Outwitted in the battlefield of life” (Sophocles 27). Sophocles intended to utilize The Chorus as a moral and ethical vocalization of the gods, which provides a commentary on the brutal and vengeful behavior Oedipus exudes towards Teiresias. However, the Chorus speaks of Oedipus’ disgraceful behavior towards the seer as a denial of the fateful revelation of patricide and incest: “To us it seems that both the seer and thou,/O Oedipus, have spoken angry words” (Sophocles 28). In this interactive forum, the Chorus identifies the morally base behavior of the king, which reveals unrelenting power of the gods to impose this judgment upon Oedipus: “This is no time to wrangle but consult
How best we may fulfill the oracle” (Sophocles 28). In this case, the decision of the Gods has been made, which defines the role of fate as the supreme power. Although Oedipus attempts to fight The Oracle to the bitter end, he cannot alter the circumstances that brought about the criminal acts he
This response is crucial to understanding the limitations of Oedipus as a “man”, since he thinks himself as being above any type of criminal behavior. Oedipus then blatantly insults Teiresias on the charges of being a “polluter of the land”, since he has convinced himself that this is a false accusation without any basis in truth: “Vile slanderer, thou blurtest forth these taunts,/And think’st forsooth as seer to go scot free (Sophocles 24). In critical terms, Oedipus’ own ego cannot accept the fate handed down to him by the oracle, which exposes the idea that he is the victim of some sort of “confidence trick”: “At least it is if after stripping it down we persuade ourselves that we have been a victim of a confidence trick” (Bloom 5). Bloom’s (1988) analysis of Oedipus’ own personal shock at the charges of patricide and incest define the limitations of mortal men, since it illustrates the realization that Oedipus may have been living a lie in terms of his role as kingly hero of Thebes. However, Teiresias responds to Oedipus with a calm knowing, regardless of the threat brought before him: “Yea, I am free, strong in the strength of truth” (Sophocles 24). This …show more content…
Oedipus is shocked to hear of The Oracle’s declaration of his crimes, which provides him with many opportunities to understand his limitations as a mortal human being. In contrast to the deification of himself as a great hero and king, he then begins to understand the nonnegotiable role of fate that is dictated by the Gods through mouthpiece of the Oracle: “O Wealth and empiry and skill by skill, Outwitted in the battlefield of life” (Sophocles 27). Sophocles intended to utilize The Chorus as a moral and ethical vocalization of the gods, which provides a commentary on the brutal and vengeful behavior Oedipus exudes towards Teiresias. However, the Chorus speaks of Oedipus’ disgraceful behavior towards the seer as a denial of the fateful revelation of patricide and incest: “To us it seems that both the seer and thou,/O Oedipus, have spoken angry words” (Sophocles 28). In this interactive forum, the Chorus identifies the morally base behavior of the king, which reveals unrelenting power of the gods to impose this judgment upon Oedipus: “This is no time to wrangle but consult
How best we may fulfill the oracle” (Sophocles 28). In this case, the decision of the Gods has been made, which defines the role of fate as the supreme power. Although Oedipus attempts to fight The Oracle to the bitter end, he cannot alter the circumstances that brought about the criminal acts he