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Examples Of Free Will In Oedipus The King

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The belief of faith has been controversial for centuries, whether everything that has happened in life was meant to happen or whether choice is what leads to the future. Famous Greek Tragedian Sophocles wrote the world renowned play Oedipus Rex. In the story Oedipus Rex Oedipus is prophesied to kill his father and marry his mother. Which leads to a big question that is asked about the play, was it fate or was it free will that doomed Oedipus? Free will was Oedipus’s fate, which means that free will was the cause of Oedipus’s future. There are many examples in Oedipus Rex that show Oedipus’s choices and how they all relate to his downfall at the end of the play, such as Oedpius’s decision to leave Corinth and how his choices lead to his attitude. …show more content…

If Oedipus’s behavior was different from a different choice then he wouldn’t have blinded and exiled himself. On (page 11) Teirsias states, “Let me go home. Bear your own fate, and I'll bear mine. It is so: trust what I say.” Teiresias offers a harsh critique of how Oedipus behaves when he entered Thebes, seeing him as cocky and ignorant when the king refuses to accept Teiresias's prophecy. Teiresias emphasizes the ability of free will by encouraging Oedipus’s decision to let him go. Teiresias is an obstacle at the beginning of the play as he tests the idea of free will by being the personified representation of fate since he is a prophet. The argument between Oedpius and Teirsias also represents the conflict between fate vs free will. Oedipus is a representation of free will and the consequences of making bad decisions, bad decisions that were led by his sour judgment. On (page 11) Teirsias says, “You are all arrogant. No; I will not tell you what I know. Now it is my misery; then; it would be yours.” This quote proves Oedipus’s downfall was due to his own actions. Teirsisas acknowledges the ignorance of Oedipus as he demands the truth and then calls him a wicked old man and a fake prophet when he doesn't get what he wants which is an example of his slow descent into chaos. To add more information, this shows the free will in Oedipus Rex as Oedipus chose to send Teirsias away and ignore the help of others, showing his hubris, In the end Oedipus’s free will caused his own downfall because he was unable to accept help with his Hubris

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