Topic chosen-‘Importance of fate as opposed to free will in unfolding the plot of Oedipus Rex’.

The paper will talk about how Oedipus uses his free will to fulfil his predetermined destiny. It
will also focus on how the Greek gods are arbitrary and all the actionsthat the characters do
whether be it Oedipus, Jocasta or even Laius to prevent the realisation of the prophecy are
futile. The importance of oracles and prophecies in the ancient Greek society and how
Sophocles pits fate over free will will also be discussed. The paper will also try to explore
more about the curse of House of Thebes in relation to Oedipus. An attempt will be made to
link Aristotle’s viewpoint about the plot in regard to the character.
Sphinx
Jocasta against the prophecy evidence of Sophocles with fate over freewill

Saurabh Nagpal
1206
Some imp words
Rebellion against the gods
Freedom tied w destiny
Guo Y.-
Circumventing tricking fate
God fearing parents ready to sacrifice oedips
Oedipus is destined to error and misery despite his wisdom

Conclusion h ye

Prophecy already fulfilled o just found out his doom

In the 5th century Athens, humanism within the society was on a rise. Traditional religious beliefs
were being questioned by philosophers, sophists and thinkers. It was an age of intellectual
revolution. The validity of oracles came under scepticism. In Greek mythology gods communicated
with the humans in two ways: directly and indirectly. Direct communication would involve god,
themselves, coming to the earth to interact with mortals. Homers’ Iliad is full of such instances. By
the time Sophocles wrote, the direct way of communication was abandoned in even literature. The
indirect way of communication involved oracles, who(?) interpreted the god’s messages and
prophecies for the humans. Because of budding confidence in human power, the legitimacy of
oracles, not god, was in doubt. Witnessing the warfare and slaughter and considering the limits to
human power, Sophocles wanted to reinforce the stature of oracles and prophecies via his works.
Having said that Sophocles did not deny the ability of human intelligence, but he wanted to reinforce
that gods are all powerful and one cannot cheat their wish.

In Oedipus The King, Jocasta due to her life experiences loses beliefs in prophecies, oracles andthe
ability of prophets to interpret the divine word.
“So much for prophecy. It’s neither here nor there.

From this day on, I wouldn’t look right or left.” (Oedipus The King, Pg 208, 948-49)

Jocatsa’s word to persuade Oedipus clearly show her intentions and beliefs. It is a blasphemous
statement. She firmly thinks that prophecies are wrong and believing in them is futile. She isn’t
challenging the existence of gods but definitely questioning the interpretation of prophecies. The
Chorus, which is the representative of the society and a marker of the attitude of the public in
Thebes, gives a strong reply to Jocasta’s word. The Chorus in a way says what Sophocles also wanted
to reinforce. It makes a clear appeal to the gods to make the prophecies come true and prove their
existence.

The theme of fate in the Oedipus Tyrannus also has important ramifications for fifth-century Athens.
Philosophers, historians and tragedians questioned traditional religious belief in a variety of ways.
Especially in the second half of the fifth century, the validity of oracles was no longer taken for
granted, and was an object of active debate.228 When Jocasta dismisses the oracle to Laius, the
chorus begs Zeus to fulfill the oracle to Oedipus in order to preserve the religious status of all oracles
(899-910). In this dramatic scene, the entire belief system hinges on the fulfillment of the oracle to
Oedipus, and the vindication of Apollo’s prediction in the Oedipus Tyrannus constitutes a
reaffirmation of traditional belief.

I argue that the Oedipus Tyrannus does not display serious disbelief in oracles or the gods, nor does
it ridicule skeptics through their fated downfall. Despite Oedipus’ strong character, stubbornness
and rashness, he is not an impious person. Nor is Jocasta. I begin with Jocasta’s skepticism about
Apollo’s oracles, then proceed to the oracle to Laius, to demonstrate how the Oedipus Tyrannus
presents fate’s innocent victims.

fifth century sees the birth of a new confidence in human power, as expressed by the “ode to man”
in Antigone (332-72). However, 5th century warfare and slaughter also call for reflections upon the
limits of human power, and its ability to cause both benefits and harm. Oedipus embodies both the
good and bad aspects of humanity. He can solve problems without resorting to any help divine or
human; the defeat of the Sphinx is independent of any divine help but purely a tour de force of his
mental power. At the same time, Oedipus does not have proper control of his own abilities. He
resolved the conflict with Laius at the crossroad in the fiercest way possible, which caused
irretrievable results.

Sopho proved this bullshit

Human freedom a mockery
Gods all powerful
Oedipus lesson in colonus Accepting fate
Sphinx also led to fulfilling of prophecy, human victory ultimately led to gods will
A world is a mixture bt gods upper hand
By accepting his fate and punishment in Oedipus at Colonus,
Oedipus has atoned for his guilt. He is at peace in the grove of the
Furies, the avenging spirits of Greek mythology who punished those
who killed a parent or sibling—or who broke their oaths. In
addition, in his blindness, he now has powers of prophecy, as well
as the power to offer eternal protection to a deserving leader of a
just city.
When he arrives at the grove of the Furies at Colonus, he realizes
that in the same prophecy that foretold his fate, the oracle said that
this grove would be the spot where he would die. No longer one to
question the power of fate, Oedipus refuses to leave the area of the
grove. He convinces Theseus, king of Athens, that an oracle has
predicted that Oedipus's tomb will serve as a great defense for
Athens if Theseus protects Oedipus at the end of his life. Theseus
accepts this version of fate, and the supernatural way in which
Oedipus dies suggests that the gods have, in fact, afforded the old
man some power in death.
But Oedipus has become something of a prophet himself—he
predicts the miserable death of Polynices, and Polynices leaves,
knowing he cannot avoid his fate. Theseus keeps his word, and
Oedipus's death occurs just as he predicted it would.
A BLEND OF DETERMINISM AND FREE WILL?
The works of the great Sophocles give us an insight to the socio-cultural context of the fifth
century BC Athens. Times were changing and so were the beliefs of people in the area.
Importance of human action and individualism was on the rise. We can find that there’s a
definite difference between the way Homer, who lived two centuries before Sophocles, wrote
about the divine and the way Sophocles showed the relation between man and god. In the
Iliad, god’s word was dictorial and no mortal character would dare to question it. In the m,
Oedipus Rex, it still was absolute but numerous examples show that the god’s will could be
challenged, attempted to be dodged or even disproved. Thus, a central theme of the text is the
question of determinism or free-will.
The Oedipus Rex has been called a tragedy of destiny but the question that whether this
tragedy that occurred with Oedipus was a consequence of his own actions or was it the will of
the all-powerful gods is a complex one.There is no clear to this question. Scholars, in
different periods of time, have answered this question diversely.
E. R. Dodds believes that the Oedipus Tyrannus is a play “about human greatness” in which
Oedipus is great “in virtue of his human strength”. According to Bernard Knox, Oedipus isn’t
a puppet of fate, rather he showcases the brilliance of a hero who has control over his actions.
There is no doubt that Sophocles represented Oedipus as the symbol of human intelligence
and human action. But the fact of the matter remains that despite his excellence and
prudence, Oedipus cannot outrun his fate. He mustgive in to the will of the gods.
Despite the gods showing no compassion to humanly feelings and being absolute in their
verdict, the characters are provided with the ability to act, choose and even rebel against the
god’s words. Laius was cursed, and it was prophesied that his death would come at the hands
of his own son. The same prophecy from the oracle of Apollo at Delphi foretells that Jocasta
would end up in bed with her son. They could have simply accepted their shameful fate and
waited for the time to pass. Instead, he and Jocasta chose to act. They were not ready to
comply with the gods and decided to kill their son. Their move to evade their destiny might
lead to a mistaken interpretation that Laius and Jocasta didn’t believe in prophecy and
oracles. However, the truth is the opposite. They were god fearing people who were even
ready to kill their new-born son. Regardless, whatever the gods wanted was bound to happen
and did happen. Thus, all this human effort was in vain.
Oedipus was doomed on the day he was born. The gods foretold that he was going commit
patricide and marry his own mother. Yet he was given one freedom- freedom to choose and
act. When he first came to know that he was prophesised to execute such sins, he left Polynus
and Melope whom he believed to be his parents. He took off from Cornith, in order to
physically stay away from his parents, which he considered to be a wise move. From then on
everything he did led him to his destiny. Solving the riddle of the Sphinx and freeing Thebes
from the monster made Oedipus the all-knowing king and a champion in the eyes of the
public of Thebes. However, defeating Sphinx led him to his destiny and thus his victory was
his doom though in disguise. When the play begins, Oedipus had already fulfilled his
destiny,but he didn’t know about it. Over the course of the play he investigatesthe murder of
Laius, employing his wisdom and intelligence, and finds out his truth. Oedipus, a man who is
always eager to act and take decisions, is ignorant and arrogant and thisfacilitates the
discovery of the truth. He is ignorant and arrogant in the sense that he believes he knows
everything. He often uses the metaphor of light and sight to boast about hisknowledge but
actually he is blind. His single mindedness to take swift action forces Tiresias, Jocasta and
the shepherd, despite their reluctance, to unearth the truth and thereby his doom. Therefore,
all the human action was just a vehicle for the realisation of gods will and in the end, they
only are oneswho are triumphant.
Oedipus is the representative of human action and is shown as a free agent. The play is full of
decisions taken by mortals, that can be considered expressions of freewill. However, this
doesn’t mean that Sophocles was trying to put freewill over fate. There was a strategic reason
behind it. According to Aristotle, plot is the most vital element of a tragedy. It is the soul of a
drama. It is the device that is responsible for engaging the audience. The audience will be
committed passionately only if they identify with the characters and the action. This happens
when the plot is awe-binding. Thus, paraphrasing Bernard Knox, a hero’s suffering can’t be
without a meaningful reason. It must be consistent with the action happening in the play and
the hero should be responsible for his suffering in some way. Aristotle said that if the hero’s
downfall comes without a sound reason, it won’t arouse pity and fear among the audience
which is the pleasure of a tragedy. Oedipus of Sophocles, in a way, is responsible for his
downfall even though his fate is predestined.He himself caries out the investigation to find
out his truth. The discovery occurs through a logical sequence of events and thereby purges
pity and fear among the audience. Human action plays critical in the discovery of truth. If
Oedipus’ fate would have revealed due to a bizarre reason, then it would not have the same
effect on the audience. All this lead Aristotle to cite Oedipus the King as ‘the most brilliant
example of theatrical plot’
In Oedipus at Colonus, the theme of fate and prophecy is noteworthy. Oedipus acquires self-
knowledge and learns his lesson by know. Also, instead of going against his fate, he starts
complying with it. When Oedipus, along with his daughter Antigone, arrives at the grove of
the Furies (they are avenging spirits of Greek mythology who punish those who killed a
parent or sibling—or who broke their oaths.), he realises that the oracle at Delphi that
prophesised his patricide and incest also foretold that he would die at this place. So, he
refuses to leave this place and convinces, Theseus to let him die at this place. Oedipus no
longer tries to run from his destiny.
It is also destined that the place where Oedipus will die would be protected and the place
from where he will be exiled would suffer. There is contestation over Oedipus. Creon tries to
take Oedipus back but is unsuccessful. Similarly, his elder son,Polynices too is unsuccessful
in persuading Oedipus. Oedipus who himself has acquired the power of prophesying predicts
that both of his sons would kill each other. Both these prophecies come true as the sons die in
the civil war and Athens gets the protection as Oedipus dies in a secret place near Athens.
The curse of House of Cadmus also continues.
When Creon was exiling Oedipus in the final scene of The Oedipus Rex, Oedipus first wishes
for death but then settles for exile because he has a hint that dying like that was not meant for
him.
“I have been saved for something great and terrible, something strange.
Well let my destiny come and take me on its way” (Oedipus The King, Pg 246,Line-1596-98)

Bernard Knox believes that the death of Oedipus in Oedipus at Colonus shows the fulfilment
of this prophetic insight. In a way, Oedipus predicted his own great death.
In the 5th century Athens, humanism within the society was on a rise. Traditional religious
beliefs were being questioned by philosophers, sophists and thinkers. It was an age of
intellectual revolution. The validity of oracles came under scepticism. In Greek mythology
gods communicated with the humans in two ways: directly and indirectly. Direct
communication would involve god, themselves, coming to the earth to interact with mortals.
Homers’ Iliad is full of such instances. By the time Sophocles wrote, the direct way of
communication was abandoned in even literature. The indirect way of communication
involved oracles, where prophets and priests interpreted the god’s messages and prophecies
for the humans. Because of budding confidence in human power, the legitimacy of oracles,
not god, was in doubt. Witnessing the warfare and slaughter and considering the limits to
human power, Sophocles wanted to reinforce the stature of oracles and prophecies via his
works. Having said that Sophocles did not deny the ability of human intelligence, but he
wanted to reinforce that gods are all powerful and one cannot cheat their wish.
In Oedipus The King, Jocasta due to her life experiences loses beliefs in prophecies, oracles
and the ability of prophets to interpret the divine word.

“So much for prophecy. It’s neither here nor there.

From this day on, I wouldn’t look right or left.” (Oedipus The King, Pg 208, Line-948-49)

Jocasta’s words to persuade Oedipus clearly show her intentions and beliefs. It is a
blasphemous statement. She firmly thinks that prophecies are wrong and believing in them is
futile. She isn’t challenging the existence of gods but definitely questioning the interpretation
of prophecies. The Chorus, which is the representative of the society and a marker of the
attitude of the public in Thebes, gives a strong reply to Jocasta. The Chorus in a way says
what Sophocles also wanted to reinforce. It makes a clear appeal to the gods to make the
prophecies come true and prove their existence.
Oedipus, who is the representative of human action and intelligence, insults a prophet,
Tiresias and rejects his predictions thereby confirming the doubt in validity of oracles, which
also was the great controversial question of the day in 5th century Athens. Sophocles again
emphasizes his point by proving Tiresias’ right.
In Oedipus at Colonus, Oedipus accepts his fate and learns his lesson. He appears to be at
peace with himself and his punishment now that he is enlightened. The miraculous death that
he receives reflects a hint of forgiveness from the all powerful and arbitrary gods. A way of
interpreting this is that since Oedipus now doesn’t try to evade his destiny rather welcomes it,
Sophocles rewards him with a peaceful yet a heroic death. Sophocles again finds a means of
expression for supporting his argument that gods are supreme.
Thus, in his masterful pieces of work, Sophocles finds a perfect balance of fate and freewill.
Without providing free agency to the characters, the dramatic effect of the play cannot be
evoked. However, Sophocles’ also wanted to emphasize importance of gods, prophecies and
oracles through the means of literature. Thus, in a subtle manner Sophocles is able to achieve
both these objectives. As Bernard Knox states, “The play then is a tremendous reassertion of
the traditional religious view that man is ignorant, the knowledge belongs only to the
gods.”(Introduction to Oedipus The King, Pg152)