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Fate And Fate In Oedipus The King
Destiny hook
From birth, Oedipus, the Tragic Hero of Sophocles' play Oedipus Rex has been destined to kill his
father and marry his mother. Although by the opening act of the play, Oedipus has already earned
the throne of Thebes for solving the riddle of the sphinx, the greek hero is unaware that he has
already fulfilled the prophy. Meanwhile, the people of Thebes are dying of a plague that will only
end when the murderer of Laius, the previous Theban King, is punished. Through retrospection,
Oedipus believes that he might be responsible for Laius death and is told that the King and Queen
of Corinth who raised him were not his biological parents. In this passage, Jocasta, having already
discovered the truth that she is both Oedipus' mother and wife, warns Oedipus to go no further in
his path for self knowledge. But Oedipus ignores her warning and calls for the Shepherd, to learn
more about his mysterious lineage. This passage suggests that Oedipus' downfall is not the product
of fate but of his own free will. Sophocles employs characterization, word choice, and irony to
reveal how free will has led to tragedy.
To start, Sophocles uses characterization to reveal the role that free will has played in Oedipus'
destiny. After the chorus leader ominously warns Oedipus about what he might uncover about his
birth, Sophocles' dialog for Oedipus states "Let it burst! Whatever will, whatever must!"(19).
Although words such as "will" and "must" are typically indicators of fate, the passive verbiage in
this clause are indicative of Oedipus' stance on his involvement with his own tragedy. Oedipus
sees himself as allowing events to play out in their nature order or as fated. However, Sophocles'
presentation of Oedipus as a character reveals that he is the driving force of his tragic discovery
after sending for the Shepherd and ignoring the warnings of both Jocasta and the chorus.
Furthermore, as Sophocles' dialog continues, Oedipus reveals, "I will never see myself
disgraced"(26). Oedipus' pride in himself regardless of the class he was born into has led to him
ignore Jocasta's warning believing that she will be dismissive of him if he was born into low social
standing. This pride has also fueled Oedipus' determination to
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Fate And Fate In Oedipus The King

  • 1. Fate And Fate In Oedipus The King Destiny hook From birth, Oedipus, the Tragic Hero of Sophocles' play Oedipus Rex has been destined to kill his father and marry his mother. Although by the opening act of the play, Oedipus has already earned the throne of Thebes for solving the riddle of the sphinx, the greek hero is unaware that he has already fulfilled the prophy. Meanwhile, the people of Thebes are dying of a plague that will only end when the murderer of Laius, the previous Theban King, is punished. Through retrospection, Oedipus believes that he might be responsible for Laius death and is told that the King and Queen of Corinth who raised him were not his biological parents. In this passage, Jocasta, having already discovered the truth that she is both Oedipus' mother and wife, warns Oedipus to go no further in his path for self knowledge. But Oedipus ignores her warning and calls for the Shepherd, to learn more about his mysterious lineage. This passage suggests that Oedipus' downfall is not the product of fate but of his own free will. Sophocles employs characterization, word choice, and irony to reveal how free will has led to tragedy. To start, Sophocles uses characterization to reveal the role that free will has played in Oedipus' destiny. After the chorus leader ominously warns Oedipus about what he might uncover about his birth, Sophocles' dialog for Oedipus states "Let it burst! Whatever will, whatever must!"(19). Although words such as "will" and "must" are typically indicators of fate, the passive verbiage in this clause are indicative of Oedipus' stance on his involvement with his own tragedy. Oedipus sees himself as allowing events to play out in their nature order or as fated. However, Sophocles' presentation of Oedipus as a character reveals that he is the driving force of his tragic discovery after sending for the Shepherd and ignoring the warnings of both Jocasta and the chorus. Furthermore, as Sophocles' dialog continues, Oedipus reveals, "I will never see myself disgraced"(26). Oedipus' pride in himself regardless of the class he was born into has led to him ignore Jocasta's warning believing that she will be dismissive of him if he was born into low social standing. This pride has also fueled Oedipus' determination to Get more content on HelpWriting.net