Oedipus Manipulation

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Ancient Greek mythology tells of a number of gods with competing domains in the mortal world and how their influence in human activity affects the occurrence of events. With this idea of divine intervention comes the concept of fate, which suggests an absence of free will and set future for society and the individual. In the play Oedipus the King, playwright Sophocles explores these theme of Ate, or godly manipulation of man’s behavior, through the protagonist Oedipus and his family. The story discusses the kingdom of Thebes, whose King Laius is informed by an oracle that he is destined to be killed by his son, who will then replace him as his wife’s partner. In order to escape his fate, Laius sends his newborn son Oedipus off to be slaughtered…show more content…
The first aim of the gods’ influence that solidifies Oedipus’s role as an agent of Ate is to control reality and punish those who interfere with their ordainment by trying to elude their fate. When Oedipus takes over the role of king of Thebes after killing his father, who was on a pilgrimage and in the clothes of a commoner, and solving a riddle to end the plague on Thebes, he marries his mother and has children with her. The gods, disgusted by this, place another plague in place, and an oracle informs Oedipus that the killer of King Laius is to blame. Oedipus goes on a witch hunt for the murderer and calls on Tiresias, a soothsayer and messenger of Apollo. Tiresias becomes incensed with Oedipus’s lack of respect for the gods in the manner he speaks to him, and he remarks, “It shall be night now where you boast day” (24). Here, Tiresias, as a representative of Apollo, establishes a new fate for Oedipus, derived from his anger, that unrolls almost as a curse rather than prophesy. He uses the metaphors of light and dark to refer to literal eyesight, and in making this menacing comment, Tiresias condemns Oedipus to future blindness,…show more content…
At the onset of the play, Thebian society is panicking over the new plague that has fallen upon its people. Expressing the fear of the citizenry of Thebes, the priest comes to Oedipus for help, and he states, “so now, you best of men, raise up our state. Act to consolidate your fame, for now, thanks to your eagerness in earlier days, the city celebrates you as its savior.” (6). Naturally, the people of Thebes look to Oedipus, their king and the man who lifted the last plague, for assistance in light of the new plague that the city faces. This action immensely upsets the gods, as they expect mortals to look to them for assistance in times of desperation, especially a priest, a man of religion. In addition, the priest makes the mistake of appreciating Oedipus for his ending of the previous plague, whereas the gods would argue that they sent Oedipus to save Thebes and thus the credit should not be given to their agent in Oedipus. Overall, the Thebians ascribe superhuman characteristics to this mere human, believing in him and his ability to achieve feats beyond the scope of man’s power, a grievous error on their part. Later on, Oedipus goes on a tirade in trying to find his father’s murderer and the cause of the plague, and he ends up blaming his own brother-in-law and uncle, Creon, for this
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