Oedipus The King Research Paper

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The misfortunes that resulted the downfall of the main character Oedipus from the play Oedipus the King by Sophocles displayed the importance of the concepts of fate, which defines the will of the gods, and man’s free will. It is believed back in Ancient Greece that ancient Greek gods ruled the world and had powerful role in man's existence. Man was free to make his own choices and decisions but was held responsible by it. Fate and free will play an important role in Oedipus' downfall from the throne. But although he was a victimized by the prophesies of the gods, Oedipus was not necessarily controlled by it as his own actions and decisions caused his own destruction. One’s character traits have a positive or negative effect on the decisions that he or she makes. For Oedipus, his character trait was the desire for truth and knowledge about his own existence. This ties in with the…show more content…
This is shown on the part when Oedipus reacted to a man pushing him aside from the crossroads when he states, “The old man and the driver himself tried to push me off. In anger, I struck the driver… I killed them all (45-46)”. Oedipus did not know that the man he struck was his father. He did not mean to do this as his character trait of stubbornness caused this to happen. It was his personality that led to his decision to kill the people in the crossroads, without knowing, his father was killed as well. When Oedipus solves the riddle of the Sphinx successfully and saves the city of Thebes from the plague, he became the king. But Oedipus could have refused and declined this offer. He could also have refused to marry the queen of Thebes Jocasta, unaware the she was his mother. He made decisions with no questions asked. It was his free will that made him make his choices. As such, these decisions led him to his downfall. It is not fate that caused his downfall, but rather his own

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