Theme Of Fate In Oedipus - 1095 Words

An Acceptance of Fate At this point in the play, Oedipus is mentally processing his actions and their consequences in a stream of consciousness. Oedipus delivers this monologue after learning that he has killed his father and married his mother, finding Jocasta dead due to suicide, and, ultimately, blinding himself. This is the moment where Oedipus finally accepts his fate. Although Oedipus is speaking to the Chorus, he delivers this speech to help himself understand the situation that he is in, rather than for the understanding of the people. This is important because his newfound acceptance affects the way he acts for the rest of the play. I will be breaking the monologue down into sections. First, I will discuss punishment, then†¦show more content†¦Oedipus continues to provide reasons behind his blinding. He cannot stand to see his children, knowing that they are result of incest. He cannot face the people of his nation as a disgraced king. These are great reason s for his desire to no longer possess sight, but poor reasons for blinding and banishment being worse than hanging. We are led to believe that Oedipus is explaining to the chorus why blinding is worse than death. What we instead face is a number of things that Oedipus is afraid to ever see again. Oedipus is not the noble man choosing the punishment that he deserves. He is instead explaining why he deserves the mercy of being blind and alone. This is reaffirmed when Oedipus states his wish to be able to deafen himself. He goes so far as to say: â€Å"It is sweet to keep our thoughts out of the range of hurt† (line 1390). He feels more comfortable being secluded from the outside world. I don’t believe, however, that he is intentionally lying to the people to justify a lighter punishment. Rather, Oedipus is trying to process for himself the causes behind his own decision. This is evidenced by the questions that he asks and subsequently answers for himself. Thes e questions were not meant to be rhetorical questions to the audience. These questions were meant to be legitimate questions for himself. Even as the â€Å"noblest man in Thebes† (line 1380), Oedipus is still human;Show MoreRelatedTheme Of Fate In Oedipus708 Words   |  3 Pagesthat fate has led him to be ignorant of his the fact that those he considers his parents are not really his biological parents. The play portrays Oedipus as a man with much love for his family. Though he wishes to see his parents, he vows not to return to his home in Corinth for fear of falling into fate’s hands. Had he known who his parents are beforehand, he never would have slain his father and married his mother. His actions are noble and meant for the greater good however, twist of fate corruptRead MoreTheme Of Fate In Oedipus The King778 Words   |  4 PagesThe greek myth told by Sophocles, Oedipus The King. Along with George Lucas’s popular modern film The Empire Strikes Back , a part of the Star Wars trilogy address questions that have been prevalent from the Ancient greeks and are still being pondered today. Both tales address Fate. In Oedipus The King, our protagonist Oedipus is constantly living with dreadful prophecies that are inevitable to prevent. While Luke Skywalker deals with his fate to become a Jedi Master. Likewise these stories deal withRead MoreTheme Of Fate In Oedipus1048 Words   |  5 PagesSophocles’ Oedipus the King, no one in the play can change or escape their tragic fate. There are three aspects of the play that show that. First, several characters try to change their fates, but it ends up backfiring on them and causing their ruins. Second, no matter how hard they try fate still has its way and the characters have no say in the matter. Lastly, Oedipus’ actions, causes pain and suffering to those around him. 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These two themes are quite prom inent throughout both pieces of writing and serve to facilitate a very human connection between the audience and the story. Although both of these stories consist of the two themes mentioned, they each express them in a unique fashion. Oedipus Rex focuses more so on the concept of fate whereas TheRead MoreA Comparative of Shakespeares Othello and Oedipus Rex1511 Words   |  6 PagesShakespeare’s Othello and Oedipus Rex In Shakespeare’s work Othello: The Moor of Venice, Othello’s over trusting nature was revealed when his trust in false accusations about his wife Desdemona’s unfaithfulness causes him to kill her and himself, conveying Othello as a tragic hero. Oedipus, the main character in Oedipus Rex, is characterized as a tragic hero when he tries to run away from his fate and finds out that the cause of his fate was his attempt to escape it. Oedipus Rex and Othello share aRead MoreSimilarities Between Oedipus Rex And The Kite Runner1391 Words   |  6 PagesFate versus Destiny: Is divine justice righteous when fate or destiny is present? Oedipus Rex and The Kite Runner are both profound works of literature that share two immensely universal themes, those themes being fate/free will and divine justice. These two themes are quite prominent throughout both pieces of writing and serve to facilitate a very humanistic connection between the audience and the story. Although both of these stories consist of the two themes mentioned, they each express themRead More The Role of Teiresias in Sophocles Oedipus Rex Essay1410 Words   |  6 Pagesdestruction that Oedipus will encounter after he learns the truths of his life. Teiresias is also responsible for further developing the theme of blindness by using his own physical blindness to reveal to Oedipus his mental blindness. 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Work: Oedipus Rex (Davis, 2) The play starts with an important piece of cultural information in the form of the quote â€Å"I thought itRead MoreOedipus Rex: Imagery of Blindness and Sight as a Medium to the Themes1218 Words   |  5 PagesIn the play, Oedipus Rex, written by Sophocles, an honourable and admirable Greek king named Oedipus rules the town of Thebes. He is left in mental turmoil and decay as his unknown, corrupt and immoral past is slowly revealed during his quest to find the culprit who murdered King Laius. The newly exposed past suddenly transforms his glory and respect into shame and humiliation. After he learns about his wicked past he stabs his eyes, which lead to his blindness. During the course of the play, references