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Choice In Oedipus The King

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Who on earth could have been born of hate from heaven? (Sophocles, 29) Although not by choice, Oedipus commits the most horrific acts of killing his father and marrying his mother. The tragic events that follow in his life, seem to be a punishment, not from the gods but from his own wrongdoings. His unreliable decisions guide him to such a miserable ending. Oedipus The King, by Sophocles, is a play about a king named, Oedipus, a good man, who on many occasions tried to evade the prophecies of the gods, unfortunately for him, these prophecies were not just rumors like his mother stated in many parts of the play. Oedipus the king is an exciting story full of mysteries and ironies. Furthermore, Oedipus’ obsessions in searching for the killer of …show more content…

“Upon the murderer I invoke this curse- whether he is one man and all unknown, or one of many- may he wear out his life in misery or doom! If with my knowledge he lives at my hearth, I pray that I myself may feel my curse.” (pg. 42) Although it is widely claim that destiny is by choice, there is a huge number of people who believed that it is by faith. In the story of Oedipus the King by Sophocles, the play illustrates how Oedipus had control of his own free will, because of the choices he made. He discusses throughout the play about his past and what happens to him by making his choices in the story. Oedipus’ unyielding desire to uncover the truth about Laius’ murder and the mystery surrounding his own birth, led him to the tragic realization of his horrific deeds. On the other hand, God will never take the life away from any human being since he was the one who created everything. But you can because it is your free will to decided the roads of your life. You are responsible for making your own decisions. One example of freewill in oedipus life is in the beginning when there is a plague in Thebes that can only be stopped by finding King Laius’ killer. Oedipus tells Creon that he curses the killer of Laius to live in exile, “Now my curse on the murderer, Whoever he is a lone man unknown in his crime or one among many, let that man drag out his life in agony, step by painful step” (Sophocles, 35). This quote shows free will because Oedipus tells Creon that whoever is the killer of Laius, he is going to send him to exile in the mountains. Instead, he could have said he would kill the killer of Laius or send him to prison. Oedipus uses free will to make his own decisions. He told Creon that the killer of Laius was to live in exile. He refused to stop looking for the truth

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