Is Oedipus a Victim of Fate Essay - 962 Words

Fate the un-avoidable Throughout the vast history of literature, various concepts have come and gone. The idea of fate or fatalism has been a concept that has survived the test of time. Numerous characters have succumbed to the power of fate and the character of Oedipus from Sophocles’ Oedipus the King is a prime example of the vast power of fate within literature. Sophocles effectively depicts the wrath of fate as he portrays how Oedipus fell victim to fate and his efforts to disregard fate were futile. Once again fate manages to triumph and displays no character whether king or slave can avoid its gaze. One can attempt to change his or her fate. Numerous beings have put their entire lives into avoiding fate. Even if the strength†¦show more content†¦This denial would sprout into an utter defiance of fate by Oedipus and the final result would not be in his favour. Wisdom is an attribute that can be utilized in numerous ways. The most important aspect of the usage of wisdom is whether it benefits or harms the user. During the play a key line is said by the character Tiresias, the local prophet. When called upon by Oedipus, Tiresias states, â€Å"Wisdom is a dreadful thing when it brings no profit to its possessor†. This is a very significant statement. It clearly defines the situation Oedipus puts himself through. Oedipus’s lust for knowledge and thirst for admiration by his subjects spells his own demise. Through constant pressuring by Oedipus, Tiresias reveals Oedipus was the one who killed Laius. It seems Oedipus brought upon his own fate through the pestering of Tiresias. The unaccounted factor is the reason for Oedipus’s actions. Fate is responsible for a series of plagues that have engulfed Thebes and have situated Oedipus in a scenario where he must find the killer of Laius to undo the plagues. The forcefulness of Oe dipus is fuelled by fate ensuring Oedipus has a viable reason to obtain knowledge no matter the consequence. Once again Oedipus is inadvertently on fates path which only harm him by its end. Chance is a very interesting concept. The belief things happen unknowingly and by mere luck. In the play chance is over shadowed by fate, a pre-determined destiny. A prime example ofShow MoreRelatedOedipus Victim Of Fate Essay876 Words   |  4 PagesIs Oedipus a victim of fate or does he possess free will? Explain your reasoning. Do you think free will is a reality or an allusion? I find Oedipus to be a victim of fate rather than having free will. â€Å"()†. Free will could be seen to be more of an illusion than a reality. People and society like to make you think you have control over your own life while in you really do not. While it seems he could have tried harder maybe vowing to never sleep with a women or to never kill a man but is whatRead MoreOedipus the King: A Victim of Fate Essay956 Words   |  4 PagesOedipus the King would not have been successful throughout centuries as a tragic play, if Oedipus were clearly responsible for his own tragedy. The plays ongoing success was do to Oedipus innocence which immediately makes one think he can not be fully responsible and to blame. I do not believe Sophocles would have wrote the story, or I do not think people would have ever read it or studied it had it simply been a story of a criminals retribution. Sophocles himself believed Oedipus to be the innocentRead MoreOedipus: Tragic Hero or Victim of Fate1379 Words   |  6 Pagesthat can be translated as tragic flaw, or more simply, error in judgment. 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When first considering this topic, I speculated that maybe it was the destiny of Oedipus to suffer, but a friend asked me to explain why Oedipus, in theRead MoreOedipus: Victim of Fate or He Deserves What He Got? Essay538 Words   |  3 PagesFate is the development of events beyond a persons control, regarded as determined by a supernatural power. It is a very common theme used in literature. We’ve seen examples from stories such as: Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet and Iliad. We’ve been reading Oedipus the King written by Sophocles. My main thesis that I would be talking about is if: Oedipus was actually a victim of fate, or did he deserve what he got. In my opinion, Oedipus does not deserve what he got and is a victim ofRead MoreOedipus Fate Essay956 Words   |  4 Pagestragedy, Oedipus the King, fate is a predetermined course of events and is also an important factor that caused Oedipus’s downfall. 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There has been a great dealRead MoreWas Oedipus Responsible For His Own Fate?1384 Words   |  6 Pages Was Oedipus responsible for his own fate? Oedipus, the King Harmanjot Singh Parmar, 578087686 Vancouver Island University Author note This paper was prepared for Liberal studies, Section 250, taught by Mark Blackell Oedipus-the king is a true Greek novel in all sense. It is a tragedy at heart and explores variousRead MoreOedipus: the Mysteries of Fate869 Words   |  4 PagesOedipus: The Mysteries of Fate Robert Choi Among the first thing a historian discovers in his study of early civilization are records of peoples belief, or faith, in powers greater than themselves, and their desire to understand what causes these powers to act. People everywhere wonder about the marvelous things in the sky and on the earth. What makes the rain? How do the plants and animals live and grow and die? Why are some people lucky and others unlucky? Some believe in free will whileRead MoreOedipus Rex : A Tragic Hero882 Words   |  4 Pagesbelief in many gods. They believed that the gods would guide them and that everyone was destined to live out their fates. In the case of Oedipus Rex, fate drove him into a downfall. Oedipus Rex is a part of the great Sophoclean play, written by Sophocles. Sophocles wrote this story to exemplify a tragic hero, he uses specific character flaws to explain the downfall of his hero. Oedipus is a perfect tragic hero because his early life forces the audience to admire as a privilege young man and also pity