Oedipus The King Research Paper

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Do you think you can escape your fate? Do you think you can chose what happens to you? Oedipus the King was written by Sophocles around 496-406 BC. The play Oedipus the King demonstrated how according to Greek mythology one can never escape fate. The equivalent to this Greek mythology in modern terms mean what is for you will be for you. Apollo the God of music decreed that any son born to King Laius and Queen Jocasta will kill his father and wed his mother (Oedipus the King, 474). Oedipus was born onto the couple (726). Due to the prophecy foretold by Apollo, the couple pierced the baby’s feet and left the baby in the mountains to die (726). A herdsman found the child and give the baby to a messenger to give to another royal family (1020).…show more content…
I believe that even if it wasn’t his fate, his arrogance, determination, pride (hubris) and anger would have placed him into the trap. If Oedipus was not so determined to find out King Laius’ killer he would have never discovered that King Laius was his father, Queen Jocasta was his mother and that he killed his father, wedded his mother and performed incest. In addition, the individuals that he talked to had given him multiple warnings but he did not adhere to them due to his determination (330, 693, and 1064). Unfortunately his arrogance did not allow him to adhere to Tiresias advice, instead he insulted him (382). Moreover, the fact that Oedipus thinks he can escape his fate shows pride. As a result of this pride, it led him to kill King Laius which turned out to be his father. The fact that he had recently solved the riddle, it empowered him so much that he felt that he was on top of the world. His anger also aided in him killing his father, because King Laius and his men approached him, disregarded his high air of authority and capacity as a king, as a result he felt disrespected when they refused to clear the path for him. This resulted in him killing them to make way for

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