Oedipus Rex Fate Vs Free Will Essay

892 Words4 Pages
As one experiences life, he may face favorable or harmful events determined by fate. However, in today's world, many people believe that one’s conscious actions impacts his destiny. In Sophocles’ tragic play, Oedipus Rex, the people of ancient Greece believe that gods govern their fate and that free will is insignificant. The protagonist, Oedipus Rex, encounters many problems, and his solutions both shape his life and lead to his eventual demise. Throughout the play, Sophocles reminds the readers that fate governs one’s life by showing it is inevitable, whereas free will determines when one fulfils his destiny, and that the play as a whole reveals the tension between these two opposing forces in the ancient Greek society in which the plot is…show more content…
Oedipus’ hubris is rash and his imprudent decisions expedite the emergence of his ultimate destiny. At the start of the play, Oedipus issues Creon to go to the oracle and figure out how to solve the city’s plague. Once Creon returns, Oedipus asks him for the reading, and he responds by saying, “Is it your pleasure to hear me with all these/ Gathered around us? I am prepared to speak,/ But should we not go in?/ Let them all hear it…”(7). Which shows Oedipus’ arrogance. His action of disclosing the prophecy causes his fate to approach. His demise is inevitable because the whole city now has the intentions of catching the perpetrator. If Oedipus had thought about his actions and had gone inside to talk with Creon, his fate would not have arrived as soon because the whole city would not have been wary. As the play progresses, Oedipus then orates that the consequences of the crime apply no less to himself, unintentionally cursing himself. This means that Oedipus’ punishment may happen anytime, perhaps that day, his next, or his very last. The key idea is that he does controls when the fate will come true. The theme of the clash of fate and free will in constantly propagated throughout the course of the
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    power.” reflects the tragic protagonist of Oedipus Rex, Oedipus of Thebes. The quotation can be interpreted to mean that although fate is already laid out for you, you have the power of free will to decide what to do with your fate. You can accept it and deal with the consequences, or you can deny it and cause more turmoil for yourself in the process. Cursed by a prophecy dooming him to kill his father and marry his mother, Oedipus cannot escape his fate, and the way he deals with his miserable destiny

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