Sunday, October 13, 2019
Destiny, Fate, Free Will and Free Choice in Oedipus the King - Fate and
Oedipus Rex, Fate, and the Modern World     In the two thousand since â€Å"Oedipus Rex†was written, it has been analyzed and dissected innumerable times and in every possible way. Usually the analysis has been within the context of the play itself or within the context of other Greek tragedies. Perhaps it would be more relevant and interesting to evaluate the play within the context of the modern world.         In his play Sophocles brings up many questions which are not easily answered. Does man ha free will? What responsibilities does a man have for his own actions? Should the inferior human intellect and poor human reasoning be placed above obedience to one’s God or gods?         Neither Sophocles nor the Greeks originated these questions. Thousands of years before the time of the Greeks man worried that his life, and therefore his fate, was determined by very powerful gods. Hence much time and energy was spent praying and asking the gods to utilize divine intervention to provide better hunting, weather, food, and other forms of good fortune.         Thousands of years of superstition and spiritual worship evolved into Greeks’ religion, which was based on mythology and the belief that gods of the Olympus controlled the lives of men. Sophocles brings to light the Greeks’ beliefs in several scenes as the gods are consulted through the oracles. In one scene, Iokaste tells Oedipus that an oracle told Laios that his doom would be death at the hands of his own son.   His son born of his flesh and mine (II. 214-220). Iokaste and Laios had asked an oracle about their baby’s future (Oedipus) to have better understanding of the child’s fate. Upon receiving this information, and realizing the tragic destiny o... ...learn there, I f he can, What act or pledge of mine may save the city. (II. 72-77)         As the Greeks did two thousand years ago, the Indians of Guatemala do today. Oracles are consulted about every important event in their life. Not only do they go to their future, they also make many futile attempts to change their destiny by offering food, money, alcohol or cigars to Maximon, Culiatlec, Kielem, or whatever god they believe to have the strongest powers. Without access to resources or education, the Mayan Indian is destined to work his small plot of land and barely survive on a diet of beans and tortillas. He will dye young from hard work just as his father, grand father, and every other ancestor since the beginning of time. If he tries to change his fate by taking up arms against his oppressor, he will dye even younger. In the same way  Â
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