Oedipus The King

5 Pages 1298 Words

The fall of Oedipus, in “Oedipus the King”, by Sophocles is caused by a combination of destiny, fate and free will. The gods do not force him to do these exact actions but they do influence him by telling him the prophecy. It was foretold that he was to kill his father and marry his mother but not how he was to commit the crimes of murder and incest. Destiny and fate decide how it all ended but it is his own free will that would decide how he would fulfill it.
The events in Sophocles “Oedipus the King” illustrate the relationship between mortal free will and the looming fate, or “great plan.” The Greeks believed the universe was guided for some larger purpose of the gods. Man was free to choose and was ultimately held responsible for his own actions. Both the concept of fate and free will played a large part in Oedipus’ very own destruction. Even though he is a victim of his own fate, he isn’t controlled by it. Oedipus is destined from birth to someday marry his mother and to murder his father. This prophecy, as warned by the oracle of Apollo at Delphi was unconditional and eventually would come to pass, no matter what he may have done to avoid it. His past actions were determined by fate, but what he did in Thebes, he did so of his own will. The idea that we, as human beings alone, have the capacity to determine our own life (whether we turn toward sin or virtue) is the idea of free will in our lives and in Oedipus’.
From the beginning of this tragedy, Oedipus takes many actions leading to his own downfall. Oedipus could have waited for the plague to clear, but out of compassion for his suffering people, he had Creon go to Delphi. When he learned of Apollo's word, he could have calmly investigated the murder of the former King Lauis, but in his hastiness, he passionately curses the murderer, and in so, unknowingly curses himself.
"Upon the murderer I invoke this curse- whether he is one man a...