Fate is unreal--it doesn’t exist, as people can decide what route their lives take. The concept of fate thrives ever so greatly in the play of Oedipus Rex, as there are several instances in which Oedipus continues to fight against his fate, ultimately resulting in a turn for the worse in the old Greek tale. By simply observing the themes of fate and freewill in Oedipus Rex, it is apparent that as Oedipus’ attempts to thwart the will of the gods, unknowingly drawing himself closer to what he wished to avoid by the ignorance and conceitedness of not only himself, but others around him.
CLAIM 1: It is apparent that Oedipus’ choices are essential in bringing himself closer to fulfilling the prophecy that he wished to escape.
Oedipus clearly …show more content…
REPHRASE: Oedipus understands that his choices are under his control; as he makes several actions throughout the play in hopes of making the prophecy out to be a lie.
Although he worked very hard towards destroying the truth of the prophecy, he only ended up bringing himself closer to it-- Oedipus’ choices were the most essential factor that determined the final outcome of his fate. With his escaping of the land of Corinth, due to his fears of the prophecy, “OEDIPUS: My fate was to defile my mother’s bed, to bring forth to men a human family, that people could not bear to look upon, and slay the father who engendered me. When I heard that, I ran away from Corinth. From then on I thought of it just as a place beneath the stars. I went to other lands, so I would never see that prophecy fulfilled, the abomination of my evil fate,” he ended up encountering the Sphinx and becoming king, a great feat indeed. Oedipus indeed played a pawn; a pawn against himself. In addition to becoming king, in his journey, he’d killed his father, stated in lines 810-820, “OEDIPUS: Well, I retaliated in good …show more content…
Oedipus was not only impacted by his own will, but also at the hands of others. By the ignorance of his mother and father, Oedipus was drawn closer to his fate. From the ever-so-hastening tongue of Jocasta, “ JOCASTA: Laius pinned his ankles tight together and ordered other men to throw him out on a mountain rock where no one ever goes And so Apollo’s plan that he’d become the one who killed his father didn’t work, and Laius never suffered what he feared, that his own son would be his murderer, although that’s what the oracle had claimed. So don’t concern yourself with prophecies. Whatever gods intend to bring about they themselves make known quite easily..” With the abandonment of their son, confusion and blindness was set into play, as Jocasta knew nothing of her son’s existence, just as Oedipus knew not of Jocasta being his biological mother. Just as Oedipus’ actions disrespected the gods, the actions of his biological parents did as well, as both parties wished to outsmart the mighty force. Not only was the choice of his parents essential, but the choice of the shepherd was as well, stated with, “OEDIPUS: If that was true, why did you give the child to this old man? SERVANT: I pitied the boy, master, and I thought he’d take the child off to a foreign land where he was from. But he rescued him, only to save him for the
CLAIM 1: It is apparent that Oedipus’ choices are essential in bringing himself closer to fulfilling the prophecy that he wished to escape.
Oedipus clearly …show more content…
REPHRASE: Oedipus understands that his choices are under his control; as he makes several actions throughout the play in hopes of making the prophecy out to be a lie.
Although he worked very hard towards destroying the truth of the prophecy, he only ended up bringing himself closer to it-- Oedipus’ choices were the most essential factor that determined the final outcome of his fate. With his escaping of the land of Corinth, due to his fears of the prophecy, “OEDIPUS: My fate was to defile my mother’s bed, to bring forth to men a human family, that people could not bear to look upon, and slay the father who engendered me. When I heard that, I ran away from Corinth. From then on I thought of it just as a place beneath the stars. I went to other lands, so I would never see that prophecy fulfilled, the abomination of my evil fate,” he ended up encountering the Sphinx and becoming king, a great feat indeed. Oedipus indeed played a pawn; a pawn against himself. In addition to becoming king, in his journey, he’d killed his father, stated in lines 810-820, “OEDIPUS: Well, I retaliated in good …show more content…
Oedipus was not only impacted by his own will, but also at the hands of others. By the ignorance of his mother and father, Oedipus was drawn closer to his fate. From the ever-so-hastening tongue of Jocasta, “ JOCASTA: Laius pinned his ankles tight together and ordered other men to throw him out on a mountain rock where no one ever goes And so Apollo’s plan that he’d become the one who killed his father didn’t work, and Laius never suffered what he feared, that his own son would be his murderer, although that’s what the oracle had claimed. So don’t concern yourself with prophecies. Whatever gods intend to bring about they themselves make known quite easily..” With the abandonment of their son, confusion and blindness was set into play, as Jocasta knew nothing of her son’s existence, just as Oedipus knew not of Jocasta being his biological mother. Just as Oedipus’ actions disrespected the gods, the actions of his biological parents did as well, as both parties wished to outsmart the mighty force. Not only was the choice of his parents essential, but the choice of the shepherd was as well, stated with, “OEDIPUS: If that was true, why did you give the child to this old man? SERVANT: I pitied the boy, master, and I thought he’d take the child off to a foreign land where he was from. But he rescued him, only to save him for the