Oedipus the King, one of the three plays from Sophocles stories, a story full of mysteries and thrillers.. From the passage provided (208-210), Jocasta, questions her own morals and religion with the Gods after she find out about her own husband and son, Oedipus. The importance of Gods and their prophecies play an important role just as wisdom in knowledge in this passage. God’s decide prophecies and prophecies decide the characters fate, whether or not to carry out this fate is partially in the characters control, their free will. These three themes are most apparent in the passage and the play, Oedipus the King. Gods and the importance of their prophecies play a major role in Oedipus the King and within this passage itself. This theme
…show more content…
Being a seeker of both wisdom and knowledge, Oedipus struggles to uncover the identity of Laius’s murder and even his own identity. Despite the warnings he has received to leave this alone, Oedipus is persistent, both Oedipus and Jocasta are driven, at times stubbornly, to pursue their goals. (208) Still believing that he did not murder his own father, Oedipus goes through heaven and earth to find one shepherd who saw it all and could possibly save him from everything. (204). The seeking of wisdom and knowledge began when Tiresias tells Oedipus of the murder (180) and that he himself, is the murder that he seeks. Enraged and not choose not to acknowledge this information shows us that on his path to seek the truth, ruins his own identity and life. He was better off not knowing. Another example is when Jocasta tries to figure this whole mess out, by explaining to Oedipus how there was no way he was the killer (202). This pursuit of the truth shows how limited the human understanding is. Being blinded by what 's in front of us, we choose to look around the corners but not into the problem. The theme of wisdom and knowledge, and how much you choose to learn from it, shows that knowledge is futile at times and limits its ability to bring happiness to those who want …show more content…
Oedipus’s decision to pursue the knowledge of finding the murderer and the decision for him to marry his own mother was all his choice, his free will to do what he chose. However, all this began with fate, when Laius heard the prophecy and decided what to do with Oedipus, having the option of keeping the son or abandoning him, his father chose with his own will. If Oedipus had not been sent away, the way things have happened would’ve been different, but none the less his father still would’ve died in the course of his life. This is fate and no matter how hard we try to avoid fate, it will eventually get to us and take its toll. Free will came into play when Oedipus solves the riddle and was given a choice to take Laius’s throne, Oedipus could’ve said no, but he was power hungry and wanted control of the kingdom. By elevating the importance of fate, Sophocles suggests that the characters cannot be fully responsible for their actions because it is not in their
Being a seeker of both wisdom and knowledge, Oedipus struggles to uncover the identity of Laius’s murder and even his own identity. Despite the warnings he has received to leave this alone, Oedipus is persistent, both Oedipus and Jocasta are driven, at times stubbornly, to pursue their goals. (208) Still believing that he did not murder his own father, Oedipus goes through heaven and earth to find one shepherd who saw it all and could possibly save him from everything. (204). The seeking of wisdom and knowledge began when Tiresias tells Oedipus of the murder (180) and that he himself, is the murder that he seeks. Enraged and not choose not to acknowledge this information shows us that on his path to seek the truth, ruins his own identity and life. He was better off not knowing. Another example is when Jocasta tries to figure this whole mess out, by explaining to Oedipus how there was no way he was the killer (202). This pursuit of the truth shows how limited the human understanding is. Being blinded by what 's in front of us, we choose to look around the corners but not into the problem. The theme of wisdom and knowledge, and how much you choose to learn from it, shows that knowledge is futile at times and limits its ability to bring happiness to those who want …show more content…
Oedipus’s decision to pursue the knowledge of finding the murderer and the decision for him to marry his own mother was all his choice, his free will to do what he chose. However, all this began with fate, when Laius heard the prophecy and decided what to do with Oedipus, having the option of keeping the son or abandoning him, his father chose with his own will. If Oedipus had not been sent away, the way things have happened would’ve been different, but none the less his father still would’ve died in the course of his life. This is fate and no matter how hard we try to avoid fate, it will eventually get to us and take its toll. Free will came into play when Oedipus solves the riddle and was given a choice to take Laius’s throne, Oedipus could’ve said no, but he was power hungry and wanted control of the kingdom. By elevating the importance of fate, Sophocles suggests that the characters cannot be fully responsible for their actions because it is not in their