The Fate Of King Oedipus Essay Research free essay sample

The Fate Of King Oedipus Essay, Research Paper Jeremy Todd English 122 4/5/97 The Fate of King Oedipus In # 8220 ; King Oedipus # 8221 ; there comes a point in the drama where Oedipus learns something that plays an of import function throughout the drama. He learns from a prophet that he will finally kill his ain Father and slumber with his ain female parent. As one could conceive of this is a daze to Oedipus, and he does non believe the prophet. However, he can non command any of this from go oning because it is his destiny. He is a victim of fortunes beyond his control. Oedipus has no control on the result of what happens in his life because his life had already been planned by the Grecian Gods. Throughout the whole drama there are mentions made to many of the ancient Greek Gods, for illustration, Apollo, Zeus, Dionysis, and Artemis are discussed rather frequently. In ancient Greece the people believed that if anything happened one of the God # 8217 ; s had a ground for it. Each God was related to one specific thing like Poseidon being the God of the sea. They thought that if there was a tidal moving ridge or a hurricane it was because Poseidon was angry at them. This is the footing for my premise that Oedipus had no control over his destiny. First of wholly, when Oedipus is merely a babe his male parent, King Laius of Thebes, is told in an prophet that his ain boy will kill him. So, with the understanding of his married woman, Jocasta, the babe # 8217 ; s pess are pinioned, and it # 8217 ; s given to a slave who is supposed to go forth it to decease on Mt. Cithaeron. However, the slave feels sorry for the babe, and gives it to a fellow shepherd from Corinth. The shepherd from Corinth presented the babe to the childless King of Corinth, who is Polybus, and he brings him up as his ain. He gives him the name Oedipus, which means conceited pes, because of his malformation. This shows how the God # 8217 ; s had already intended for his life to be. He had no manner to command what his parents did to him after he was born. Then, 18 old ages subsequently, he leaves Corinth for Delphi, to look into on his parenthood at the prophet of Apollo. The prophet, though, gives him a horrific anticipation. Which is that he will kill his male parent and slumber with his female parent, which are the two most impossible offense in a Grecian household. After hearing this he flees Corinth and caputs toward Thebes believing to of left his male parent behind in instance the prophet was right. However, the God Apollo has slightly tricked him. Since he believes that his existent male parent is Polybus, but he does non yet know that his male parent is the King of Thebes, which is where he is traveling. Along the manner he meets an old adult male driving a waggon of slaves at a topographic point where three roads run into, and he so precedes to kill him. Old ages pass after this incident, during which clip he becomes King of Thebes, marries Jocasta ( his female parent ) , and male parents four kids by her. Slowly, Thebes becomes engulfed by a hideous pestilence, which kills animate beings, kids, and harvests. Oedipus, being the brave male monarch he is, promises to salvage his metropolis. Since pestilences are caused by pollution, and the pollution is caused by sins the Gods are the lone one # 8217 ; s who can uncover it # 8217 ; s cause. Oedipus sends his brother-in-law, Creon, to see the prophet at Delphi once more, and the God # 8217 ; s answer is that the pestilence was caused due to an unpunished liquidator. That being the liquidator of Laius. He so places a awful expletive on the liquidator whomever it is, and so looks for aid from Teiresias, the respected prophesier. She tells him that he is the slayer, and she hints at even worse offenses. Oedipus is enraged at what she tells him, and thinks that Teiresias and Creon have made this up to dethrone him. Teiresias departs with menaces of her life while Creon implore his artlessness. Oedipus does non believe him, and would hold had him executed if non for Jocasta. After hearing that the statement was the consequence of what an prophet had told them she reassures Oedipus by stating that what the prophets say is bunk. She so tells a narrative of how her and Laius were told by one that their boy would kill his male parent. She so tells him how the male parent was killed by robbers at a topographic point where three roads meet. Then Oedipus remembers that he killed a adult male at a topographic point like this and admirations if it was Laius. He realizes that this would do him the cursed liquidator who is to fault for the pestilence of Thebes. Jocasta pleads with Oedipus that a informant said it was stealers, and that it could non hold been him. Oedipus wants this informant to be found so that his frights can be laid to rest. During this clip a courier arrives to state Oedipus that his male parent, the King of Corinth, has died and that he is now the King of Corinth every bit good. Oedipus is saddened by this event, but tells the courier that he can non return to Corinth while his female parent is still alive. Then the courier attempts to assist himself out by stating Oedipus that she was non truly his female parent, nor was Polybus his male parent. He so explains to them that Oedipus was given to him by a shepherd from Thebes. Jocasta so realizes that Oedipus is genuinely her boy and rushes off. Meanwhile Oedipus believes that she is embarrassed that her hubby might hold been an unwanted kid, and possibly he was the boy of a slave. At last the Theban shepherd arrives, and this is dry because turned out to be the adult male who was the informant to the slaying of Laius. The shepherd is loath to state Oedipus anything. Not until after a menace of anguish does he state Oedipus that the babe was given to him by Jocasta to be killed, and that he passed it on to the Corinthian out of commiseration. Oedipus now cognizing the truth hastes to happen Jocasta, but unfortunately, it was to late. She had already hanged herself. Oedipus so takes the shoulder pins from her frock and gouges his eyes out with them blinding himself. From this bad luck Creon becomes King, and after leting Oedipus to state adieu to his girls, orders him into the house, to expect disposal at the God # 8217 ; s pleasance. As Oedipus enter the house he is continually stating that he should be left to decease on Mt. Cithaeron merely as the Gods intended for him to. As one can see, the God # 8217 ; s played with the lives and emotions of all the characters in the drama. While making so Oedipus could in no manner command his ain destiny. The God # 8217 ; s mislead him, and did non let him to maintain from his fate. Oedipus was so a victim. A victim of fortunes beyond his control, and it merely goes to demo that it is impossible for person to get away their ain destiny. 337