Oedipus the King A Victim of Fate Essay - 956 Words

Oedipus 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 innocent victim of an ironic tragedy, and built the play around this belief. This story was destined to happen and I believe the author would agree. The story revolves around destiny, the resistance of people to it and the ultimate ending of destiny†¦show more content†¦For example when Agamemnon sacrificed his daughter to the gods his wife was angered with him for taking his own childs life and rather than waiting to see what was to be destined to her husband she killed him. She took the matters into her own hands and found justice her own way. These traits are also seen in Oedipus, for he values the power of truth. Instead of relying on the gods, Oedipus counts on his own ability to root out the truth; after all, he is a riddle-solver. People make the assumption that Oedipus murdered his own father, however this is flawed. The play clearly states that this act was provoked; therefore, all he is guilty of is self-defense. Oedipus describes a wagon about to shove him off the road with brute force, this angered him to strike the driver, and when the old male passenger (a stranger to Oedipus) tried to prong him in the head, he attacked him - this is far from being guilty of murder. This makes you think that Sophocles is writing it from the angle that Oedipus was innocent. In order to discuss the issues at hand, we need to assess the degree of free will that an individual has when there is gods ruling over them. The characters who tried to avoid the oracles did not realize their limits as humans; they listened to their egos and perhaps believed their choices were in their hands rather than the hands of the gods and fate. Oedipus and Laius tried to prevent the prophecy that the oracle presented them with, and in doingShow MoreRelated Destiny, Fate, Free Will and Free Choice in Oedipus the King - Victim of Fate3445 Words   |  14 PagesThe Victim of Fate in Oedipus Rex The question has been raised as to whether Oedipus was a victim of fate or of his own actions.   This essay will show that Oedipus was a victim of fate, but he was no puppet because he freely and actively sought his doom, although he was warned many times of the inevitable repercussions of his actions. 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