A God At Fault
At times of tragedy and the loss of innocent people, a question frequently asked by the population is, “why do bad things happen to good people?” The Greeks have demonstrated the meaning behind a man’s inevitable fate and why at times it may seem like tragedies are formed by one’s personal actions through the story of Oedipus the King. Aristotle has defined the meaning of the perfect tragic hero to be one “whose fall into misfortune is the result not of bad deeds or evil character but of some mistake” (704) and the primary example of that would be Oedipus. Oedipus was labeled as the “perfect” tragic hero for his attempt to defy the fate brought upon him by the gods but inevitably following through with it. It is essentially his own fault because his it was his actions and his decisions that lead him down the path of his downfall as he states in his speeches and actions that the play …show more content…
The word fate is essentially used to describe the events that are occurring in the play. As demonstrated by his actions, the more Oedipus tries to avoid his fate, the more he ends up running into it. The gods brought the curse on Oedipus to exemplify the connection between fate and human actions. Oedipus’s conscious decisions to act in certain manners show human morality and innocence that can be destructive. Oedipus’s lacks knowledge of his encounters’ backgrounds and that is where his downfall ignites. He is frequently persistent in following through with the path that leads him into his future despite all the warning signs and obstacles. He comes across roadblocks that could have prevented him from going any further like the crossroads or the Sphinx that prevented anyone from entering the city of Thebes. His human mentality drove him to consistently want more and to do more, thus leading him into fulfilling the curse of marrying his
At times of tragedy and the loss of innocent people, a question frequently asked by the population is, “why do bad things happen to good people?” The Greeks have demonstrated the meaning behind a man’s inevitable fate and why at times it may seem like tragedies are formed by one’s personal actions through the story of Oedipus the King. Aristotle has defined the meaning of the perfect tragic hero to be one “whose fall into misfortune is the result not of bad deeds or evil character but of some mistake” (704) and the primary example of that would be Oedipus. Oedipus was labeled as the “perfect” tragic hero for his attempt to defy the fate brought upon him by the gods but inevitably following through with it. It is essentially his own fault because his it was his actions and his decisions that lead him down the path of his downfall as he states in his speeches and actions that the play …show more content…
The word fate is essentially used to describe the events that are occurring in the play. As demonstrated by his actions, the more Oedipus tries to avoid his fate, the more he ends up running into it. The gods brought the curse on Oedipus to exemplify the connection between fate and human actions. Oedipus’s conscious decisions to act in certain manners show human morality and innocence that can be destructive. Oedipus’s lacks knowledge of his encounters’ backgrounds and that is where his downfall ignites. He is frequently persistent in following through with the path that leads him into his future despite all the warning signs and obstacles. He comes across roadblocks that could have prevented him from going any further like the crossroads or the Sphinx that prevented anyone from entering the city of Thebes. His human mentality drove him to consistently want more and to do more, thus leading him into fulfilling the curse of marrying his