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... According to Greek tragedians, fate ultimately decides life’s destinations. Many times an interference with fate causes a conflict to emerge and creates a struggle between the all-powerful gods and the mere will of the humans. As shown in the Greek tragedy Oedipus the King, once the gods foretell destiny, no amount of faith, hope, or vain effort by human beings could escape it. On the contrary, even if a god himself such as in Prometheus Bound tries to change fate he is also punished. Therefore, as soon as there is an interference with fate, whether it is by any of the gods or mortals, it does not go unnoticed and is usually tragically counteracted by the authoritative divinities. ... In Oedipus the King, pompous Oedipus fuels the wrath of the gods, who vest their divine wisdom in the prophet Tieresias, because he tries to escape his own fate. ... " (Oedipus the King, 884-888).
Oedipus the King is a tragic tale of a mortal king who is asked by the townspeople to save them from a plague brought on by the gods. He is told that the only way the town will be spared of the plague is if the previous king Laius’ murderer is revealed and cast from the city. Oedipus seeks the truth of the murderer’s identity from the local prophet, Teiresias—and receives the awful news that he himself is the murderer. ... Then a messenger from Corinth, Oedipus’ old home, notifies Oedipus that his father is dead and the throne of Corinth is his. The messenger then confronts a herdsman, who proves Teiresias right and reveals Oedipus’ horrifying and twisted fate, thus the ancient prophecy has been fulfilled in each dreadful detail. Jocasta commits suicide and Oedipus blinds himself in humiliation and grief and imposes on himself the penalty of exile which he had promised for the murderer of Laius.
Oedipus the King exemplifies how the Greeks could not avoid the dealings of the gods, especially if the mortals were vulnerable. In this case, Oedipus’ vulnerability was that he was blind because had no idea who he really was. “You have your eyes but see not where you are in sin” (Oedipus, 413). ... Finally, after his horrible fate came to the light, he made himself physically blind like Tiresias, the true seer, whom Oedipus had told earlier that he was blind to the truth.
Approximate Word count = 1920
Approximate Pages = 7.7
(250 words per page double spaced)
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