Antigone And Oedipus The King English Literature Essay

The drama Oedipus by Sophocles is a drama whose focal point is the interplay between destiny and free will. The narrative fundamentally goes like this: Oedipus was fated to kill his male parent and get married his female parent as he learned from the Oracle at Delphi. So, Oedipus does everything to escape-he tallies from his ain land and starts his life over. However, Oedipus is a character that clearly demonstrates that no affair how much free will work forces asseverate, destiny has already written the events of one ‘s life. Oedipus himself does everything to avoid the assorted prognostications made about him, but in the terminal, is a victim of destiny.

Introduction

The drama Antigone and Oedipus the male monarch is a great representation of Grecian calamity and of the human experience. The relationship between fate and free will can be recognized by the characters in drama. Destiny and free will are two opposing thoughts that blended into drama. To construe the characters throughout the narrative line, Oedipus is presented with a series of picks with chesty and obstinate nature push him to impetuously do the incorrect determinations. Oedipus is responsible for the calamity harmonizing to the determinations that finally lead him to his ruin.

We Will Write a Custom Essay Specifically
For You For Only $13.90/page!


order now

While Oedipus and those around him consider fate which the beginning of Oedipus ‘ jobs, determinations show the audience that it is he who is responsible. Sophocles is able to drive his message about the booby traps of human haughtiness through Oedipus ‘ fatal defects and the usage of metaphorical and actual sightlessness.

Literature Review ( Current Study )

The destiny of the drama is for Oedipus to get married his female parent. Oedipus does non cognize that he is adopted by the male monarch and queen is being raised by. He is told that he was by some adult male and the adult male besides told him that his destiny was to get married his female parent. Oedipus did non believe him and he told the king what was said to him. The male monarch ne’er told him if it was true or non he merely asked who told him these narratives. Consequently Oedipus ran off from who tell you what your destiny is that he is to get married his female parent and have childs with her and his male parent will decease. So so he runs off from the metropolis he is raised in to the metropolis of Thebes. Marries this adult female name Jocasta and have childs with her. Then he gets intelligence that his pa dies and he seeking to calculate out why because he did non hold marry or have childs with the adult female who he think is mother. Long narrative abruptly he finds out his married woman is his female parent and he stabs his eyes out.

The destiny of the narrative is he was to get married his female parent. This is because at birth, he was cursed and he was suppose to be killed and was given to a Sheppard adult male to be killed but he did non make. So he gave Oedipus to the male monarch and Queen that raised him because they wanted to follow a boy. Oedipus other destiny was for him to kill his pa. In add-on to wish when Oedipus was walking to the metropolis Thebes he ran into his pa who did non at the clip was his pa. His pa was seeking to force him off and Oedipus warned him to go forth him entirely but he would non halt. So Oedipus merely took out his blade. Subsequently on in the drama Oedipus finds out he killed his pa.

Discussion

How muchA freeA willA do we haveA andA how much doesA fateA influence our lives? This inquiry has been an on-going argument for many philosophers. Even though we can make up one’s mind on every affair that is given to us, we can non disregard theA fateA that has been given to us since our birth. Therefore, we frequently question ourselves how muchA fateA takes portion in taking our lives. In the drama ‘Oedipus Rex ‘ written by Sophocles, Sophocles besides deals about the individual’sA destiny andA freeA willA through the life of Oedipus. In Oedipus ‘ life, both hisA fateA andA hisA freeA willA change the class of his life.

Even though Oedipus tried to deny his unfortunateA destiny, he failed to get away hisA destiny. Before Oedipus came to Thebes, he was the prince of Corinth. At a feast, he overheard person stating that he was non really the boy of the kingA andA queen. Even though his parents deny such a rumour, he seemed sort of doubtful. Therefore, he traveled to the prophet of Delphi to happen out the truth. Yet, the prophet did non reply his inquiry, but told him something else. Oedipus told Jocasta that what oracle told him was ‘Instead, other wretched horrors he flashed Forth in address. He said that I would be my female parent ‘s lover, show offspring to mankind they could non look at, A andA be his liquidator whose see I am ‘ ( 793-793 ) . This prognostication meant that he would get married his motherA andA kill his male parent. Frightened, Oedipus fled his place to get away thisA destiny. However, in the drama, he found out that the kingA andA the queen of Corinth were non really his biological parents. Laius, the former male monarch of ThebesA andA the biological male parent of Oedipus, besides got the prognostication from Delphic prophet that he would be killed by his ain boy. Therefore, he abandoned his kid. The shepherd who found the babe felt sympathy towards the babyA andA gave him to the male monarch of Corinth. That babe was really Oedipus. When he heard how Laius had died, Oedipus realized that he really murdered Laius, his biological male parent. Therefore, even though both LaiusA andA Oedipus tried to get away theirA destinies, theA fateA finally came to them in the terminal. They did non even acknowledge the fact that prophecy truly happened.

Despite the inescapableA destiny, Oedipus admitted his offense on hisA freeA will. At first, he had no thought who killed Laius. He foremost ordered Creon to convey prophet at Delphi to stop the pestilence that has stricken Thebes. However, when Oedipus tried to happen out who the liquidator is, the prophet said “ I ‘ll ne’er convey my heartache to light-willA non speak of yours ” ( 333-334 ) . Oracle insisted staying silent, because he believed that the truth would convey nil but hurting. However, instead than concealing the truth when the prophet of Delphi warned him, Oedipus kept endangering the prophet to talk the truth. Therefore, prophet of Delphi told him that Oedipus is the liquidator. At first, he did non believe the oracleA andA believed that CreonA andA prophet was cabaling against him. However, when Jocasta told him how Laius died, Oedipus realized that he might be the true liquidator. Jocasta began to surmise the truth, so she discouraged Oedipus from interrogating the shepherdA andA happening the truth. She said, “ For the love of the Gods, A andA if you love your life, give up this hunt! My illness is adequate! ” ( 1066-1067 ) Besides, the shepherd was loath to unwrap the truthA andA Oedipus himself suspected him as the liquidator of Laius. However, Oedipus continued to interrogate the shepherd to happen out about the truth on his ownA will. Finally seeing the truth, Oedipus stabbed out his ain eyesA andA paid for what he did. Even though he could non hold escaped hisA destiny, he could hold hidden what he didA andA escape the guilt. However, he decided to happen out the truthA andA wage for what he did.

Throughout this drama, Oedipus showed the inescapability ofA fateA andA theA freedom of showing one’sA will. Even though he could non get away hisA destiny, Oedipus had someA freeA willA every bit good. Through this drama, readers can admit how much theA fateA affects our livesA andA how ourA freeA willA can alter the class of our hereafter.

A

Decision

The narrative of Oedipus the male monarch brings up many issues sing the issue of fate versus free will. Both destiny and free will are built-in parts of life, but adult male ‘s ability to believe in destiny frequently hinders his free will. A tragic drama by Sophocles was written to demo that your destiny is pre-determined and nil you do can alter.

To to the full understand Sophocles ‘ message, the drama must be analyzed objectively every bit good as textually. What is Sophocles seeking to state to the audience about human nature? If it truly is an ineluctable destiny that gets Oedipus where he is, so no point can be made about the danger of haughtiness, hubris, and pique. If Oedipus truly had no manner out of his “ destiny ” , if he genuinely was on some kind of rail, so his defects are basically rendered obsolete. If it is entirely fate that takes attention of Oedipus ‘ life, so the subtext of Sophocles ‘ point through Oedipus is that no adult male truly has free pick ; no adult male can larn from his errors because he is trapped inside of a one-track life, a life that is governed by something other than him. Alternatively of go forthing the reader with this message, Sophocles leaves the statement of destiny versus free will far more equivocal. By the terminal of the drama, two facts remain: Oedipus ‘ ruin isA prophesized, and OedipusA doesA fulfill the prognostication. The truth of the affair is that Oedipus ‘ picks are what led him to carry through the prognostication.

In this drama Sophocles clearly shows the reader that both destiny and free will be inside each character. However, the free will that people have is merely up to a point inside the destiny. In other words, people can asseverate free will to do minor picks and follow waies in life. That free will does non alter a individual ‘s destiny. The book of one ‘s life has been written and while people can alter the single escapades on the pages themselves, the mileposts and the terminations will be the same. All characters-Oedipus, Jocasta, and King Lauis show the reader that destiny does command lives.A

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *