"An oracle was reported to Laios once... That his doom would be death at the hands of his own son-His born of his flesh and of mine!"(p.978 Lines 186-189)
Fate is defined as, "something that unavoidbly befalls a person."In "Oedipus Rex", Oedipus the King's destiny is primarily determined by fate in the form of the "oracle". Oedipus' actions play some role in his downfall, but overall, fate is the driving force that leads to his ultimate demise. Before Oedipus is born, the prophecy says that he will murder his father and marry his mother. As a mere mortal, there is nothing that Oedipus can do to stop this. The choices that Oedipus makes in his life are limited to the confines of the prophecy. As the play progresses, Oedipus and Jocasta try more and more to avoid fate, but there attempts are simply futile. Jocasta commits suicide and Oedipus gauges his own eyes out after witnessing her suicide. Fate, as defined, is unavoidable. No mortal can alter it.
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2 comments:
Well done mate, you really got it on the mark... Oedipus' decisions were bound by fate, mate, I completely concur, and there was nothing he could do to escape it. Sparking
ly brilliant
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