The Dramatic Power Of Fate In 'Oedipus The King'

Literature Review from the year 2015 in the subject Didactics - English - Literature, Works, grade: 94%, University of Hartford, language: English, abstract: Over the centuries, people have believed in the influence of divine or diabolical power in their lives. One of the most often discussed themes of ancient Greek tragedy is fatalism, the idea and belief that human actions are guided by the hand of fate, destiny, the gods or some other supernatural forces. The ancient Greeks recognized the role of fate and for them it represented a terrifying unstoppable force. Fates was the will of the gods, and unopposable reality. In the play Oedipus The King (425 B.C.) by Sophocles (496-406 B.C.), Oedipus is a perfect tragic hero, victim of his fate. As the play starts, the citizens of Thebes beg their king, Oedipus, to lift the plague that threatens to destroy the city. Creon, Oedipus's brother in law, announces that the oracle instructs them to find the murderer of Laius who was king of Thebes before Oedipus. Only this will end the plague. A blind prophet, Tiresias, accuses Oedipus of killing Laius. Angry, Oedipus orders him to leave. Jocasta, the queen, encourages him to ignore prophecies. However, Oedipus is anxious because just before he came to Thebes he killed a man who looked like Laius at a crossroads. Another worry haunts Oedipus: as a young man, he learned from an oracle that he was fated to kill his father and marry his mother. Then, Oedipus becomes determined to find out the truth of his birth. Finally, a shepherd reveals that Oedipus is the son of Laius and Jocasta. The prophecy has come true; Oedipus is devastated by his fate. Later, he finds that Jocasta killed herself. Oedipus is suffering so much that he blinds himself so he will no longer look upon the misery he has caused. In the play, it is the element of fate that leads ultimately to the tragic downfall of the characters.