Destiny, Fate, Free Will and Choice in Oedipus the King - Fates Triump

Destiny, Fate, Free Will and Choice in Oedipus the King - Fates TriumphAt the core of any tragedy thither is a cruel change of fortune involved. This change of fortune is a key factor in mans demise and it can result in system that perhaps the gods plotted his reveal out of malice. To blame a higher power is the easy way to rationalize the downfall, but upon further investigation it becomes send away that it is actually mans attempt to escape his fate that leads to tragedy. Only when Oedipus was ruined did he realize his efforts to avoid what was pre-ordained were useless. Douglas Johnston states that choice is at the heart of tragedy (Johnston 14). In Sophocles calculate Oedipus Rex Laius, Jocasta and Oedipus all choose to ignore Apollos oracle this decision, to attempt to escape fate, sets off a chain of events that leads to the defeat of these characters. We can only wonder how their lives may give birth differed if not for these fatal decisions. If virtuoso assum es that any attempts to control ones destiny will result in tragedy does the opposite also ring true? mayhap the way to cheat fate is simply to accept it. Even before his birth Laius and Jocasta have been told that their sons fate is to kill his father and marry his mother. They are unflinching to save themselves and decide that Oedipus must be killed before he is old enough to carry out the prophecy. This attempt to beat the gods immediately begins Oedipus journey to ruin as he grows up in nearby Corinth thinking that his parents are King Polybus and Queen Merop. By assuming Polybus and Merop are his true parents Oedipus is in a situation where he can unknowingly kill his true father and marry his true mother. At the same time Jocasta and Laiu... ...it is a natural tender instinct to seek to avoid ones fate when one knows something bad will happen. Even if man knows he is headed for doom it is ones foolishness, determination and stubborn nature that makes one try to f ight the losing battle against destiny. The destruction of Oedipus in Sophocles play is not an isolated occurrence rather it is a story whose lessons apply to all of mankind. plant Cited and Consulted Johnston, Douglas, and Brian Grandy. Greek Tragedy. Ascension Collegiate. 3 Oct. 2001<http//www.stemnet.nf.ca/hblake/tragedy1.html. Rose, Lloyd. The Greek Tragedy Doom Is Booming. Washington Post 20 Dec. 1998 G02. 2 Oct. 2001 <http//academics.vmi.edu/english/greekdrama.html. Sophocles. Oedipus Rex. An Introduction to Literature, 11th ed.Eds. Sylvan Barnet, et al. bare-assed York Longman, 1997. 800-836.