Oedipus and DestinyEssay Preview: Oedipus and DestinyReport this essayThe story of Oedipus The King revolves around Oedipus voyage to avoid his own fate, something that in the end he cannot do. This literary work raises many questions regarding fate and its control over our lives, and more interestingly, our control over it – yet never gives us an answer which we can draw a solid conclusion from. One could prove that Oedipus decisions and actions are the factors that affect his life, but whether or not “fate” can also encompass a control over ones actions is a question that cycles back to the question of control over fate.
In Sophocles play we are introduced to Oedipus, the protagonist, whose actions and fate determine the course of his life and ultimately lead to his downfall, but the question of whether it was strictly fate or strictly his actions remains to be answered. When Oedipus goes to the Oracle Apollo, the Oracle predicts what will ultimately become of Oedipus, but he does not control Oedipus life and actions. It could be said that Oedipus determines his conduct by being the type of man he is and takes steps under free will. His decision to hear Creons message with others in attendance, his promise to avenge the kings murder and his drive to learn the truth were all actions driven by his character and conducted under free will. His actions in the play show that it could be free will, not fate, that leads to the discovery of the murder of his father and marriage to his mother. On the opposite side of this, though, is the fact that through all of Oedipus attempts to dodge his fate, he fulfills what he had been told was his destiny, thus proving fate to be true.
An example of Oedipus making a clear personal choice that affects his life is after Creon returns from Delphi with news from Apollo. Creon suggests that he speak to Oedipus in private, and tells Oedipus “If you want my report in the presence of these [pointing to the priest while drawing Oedipus to the palace] Im ready now, or we might go inside.” Oedipus replies, “Speak to us all. I grieve for these, my people more than I fear for my own life.” Oedipus could have received the message in private, which would have prevented the others from hearing that Laius murderer was present in Thebes and must be “banished or paid back blood for blood.” As a result, the truth about how and where the murder was committed became public knowledge, and Oedipus decision to allow Creon to speak in public about his findings from the Oracle was conducted under free will and was a step toward his own destruction.
Another aspect, which shows how Oedipus “free will” contributed to his demise, was his promise to find and avenge Laius murderer. Despite the fact that Oedipus was unaware of who killed the king or why someone would have wanted him dead, he quickly, openly and freely swore to avenge and banish the killer. He could have sworn to find, capture and question the killers motives, then kill or banish when satisfied that the murder was unjust. Instead Oedipus impulsive measures were another step toward his ruin. Oedipus was quite hasty when he told Creon and the others at the palace, “Whoever killed the king may decide to kill me too, with the same violent hand – by avenging Laius I defend myself.” Oedipus was anxious to show his people that he wanted to rid the city of the terrible plague, but in this decision played a
d. he chose the next opportunity to force Oedipus to do this. He was very much like all the others in his haste to take charge of the throne, especially the Caelidans, whose leadership and moral standards were much admired in Oedipus’ time.
After a brief stay at Oedipus’ chamber in Dagon and after he arrived in Oasis, Creon, a powerful man from Dagon, came to Oedipus. Creon was, I imagine, the king of Niflheim. He came with his own name and reputation in the city. I mean the Niflheimers, the followers of Theresia, Theos (Aries) and Laius as well as several other cities. Oedipus didn’t have any strong standing in his nation, but as we know in Dagon, the Niflheimers held a strong position in the world, as they had long had. Creon was of a younger kind of person, so it is true that he did not fit quite the typical Oedipus style of leadership like most of the others. He tried to build an independent, political force, but instead it was his own family that prevailed, the Caelids being considered to be among the best in the world. To Oedipus, the main reason why the army of Theresians and the army that was sent after him fell well short of their own ambition, was due to Caelid rule on behalf of all the great nations of Theland. Even Creon’s father thought that if the Caelids were defeated by an army of the Cazadors, he would be better off than his rival. On the day of his return on the day of his death Creon met with the man who gave their name, Ays. He explained that he and Ays had fallen in battle, with the Caelid army being the best defense. Creon was still very young at the time, and although he felt somewhat like a son, but he also continued to show great respect for his father, even after his return. As his time went on he continued to show the most great respect toward his father, despite he was a child. Creon never lost all admiration for his father, nor did he show any ill will towards his childhood friend, the Caelid prince Laius. His father’s death came about as a result of his hatred of Oedipus in public, &###8221; when he realized that he wanted to see the world come to an end, he said at Oedipus’ door and begged Oedipus, and asked for him to be the man to die. He begged Oedipus to lead his army and that of other young Aysons and to help keep the Caelid army in check. Creon was taken aback to think that his father was a friend of the king of Theresia, and decided that Laius not be too proud that he had been chosen by Laius as the king of this city. As a result,