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Oedipus Rex Fate Vs Free Will Essay

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The Life of Oedipus: Fate or Freewill? no matter what movie, play, or book you are following the story of, it is always apparent that there is a hero with fate or destiny; some controlled by a predetermined prophecy said by a higher spiritual power like gods. The best example to make would be to that of religion during the middle ages where people used the principle of Ockham's Razor to blame religion and Gods for random events, such as plagues, sudden deaths, famines or natural disasters. A story like Oedipus Rex makes you ponder whether or not fate can eventually be moralized into free will and how much control the Gods really have on a a individual. It was common to assume that once a God prophesied a person’s life, there would be absolutely no self-control and life would go exactly according to the prophecy. …show more content…

Before telling Oedipus the prophecy from Delphi, Tiresias practically warns him by saying "dismiss me, send me home. That will be the easiest way for both of us to bear our burden" (19). And even after two more "warnings" from Tiresias, Oedipus continues to question him and seek the truth; ultimately showing he had no idea what will be said about Laius's murder. When the messenger returns from the Oracle at Delphi, Oedipus is told his father, polybus, is dead and Corinth is summoning Oedipus to become their new king; Instead of expressing sadness because of his father's death, he starts to rejoice with Jocasta knowing the prophecy of killing his father can't be true. At this point in the play Oedipus still has no idea who his parents and if they are still alive. It is only halfway through the play when Oedipus is told who his real mother and father are. Only later does Oedipus find out Polybus is not his biological father; which creates, at the present moment in the play, dramatic irony to the

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