Oedipus Essay, Research Paper
Oedipus
Even though “fate” seems to determine Oedipus’ life, he does, in fact, have a free will.
His choices brought the prophecy to life. Only his decisions (not influenced by anybody) he made. Of course those decisions were in side of the limits set by fate. When Oedipus heard a prophesy that his going to kill his father and sleep with his mother he ran away, even when he new there were suspicions of him being the real son of his parents. There some lines from the play: ” There was a man dining with us one day who had too much wine and man shouted at me-half drunk and shouting that I was not rightly called my father’s son. Without my parent’s knowledge, I went to Delphi, but Apollo did not say what I had gone to hear. Instead, he answered questions I had not asked and told of horror and misery beyond believe – how I would know my mothers bad and cause the death of my own father.”
The prophecy drove the Oedipus away from home; the terror of the predictions was too much to live with. Oedipus tried everything not to meet the prophecy, and still when he came to Thebes and became a king Oedipus married an older lady. It was his choice, even when he knew there was a danger of him to know mothers bad, he made it.
Oedipus’ quest for truth was his choice. When the Teiresias tried not to reveal the truth, The Oedipus was the one, who made the priest to talk: “This city gave you life and yet you refuse to answer! You speak as if you were her enemy. For God’s sake, if you know, don’t turn away from us! We are pleading. We are begging you. You will not tell? You monster! You could stir the stones of earth to a burning rage! You will newer tell? What it will take?”
As the truth is getting revealed: ” You, Oedipus, are the desecrator, the polluter of this land.” Oedipus does not believe (his choice). He (Oedipus) start to accuse Creon of truing to take his powers away (king). And still want to reveal whole truth. After talking to Jocasta Oedipus faces that he in fact might killed the king Laius. ” There was s herald leading a carriage drawn by horses and the man riding in the carriage The driver pushed. In anger, I struck him. The old man saw it, reached for his lash and waited till I had passed. Then he struck me on the head. But he paid-oh yes he paid. I killed him. And again that was a choice, he (Oedipus) knew that he will kill his own father, even when he killed an old man he didn’t thought of possibility, that the old man might be his father.
Oedipus fate was determined before he was even born, and by trying t o overcome it, he actually perfectly filing in his position in life which is a prophesy. Oedipus thought that he oversmarted the Gods, but in fact every his move he made moved him closer to prophesy becoming a reality.