The Tragedy Of Oedipus The King

The Tragedy of Oedipus the King Man must accept responsibility for both his own actions and the consequences of those mistakes he comes to make. No excuse or point of finger should take away from his duties of taking responsibility. The events in Oedipus the King, written by Sophocles, shows an underlying relationship of man's free will existing within the order or fate, which the Greeks believed guided the vast universe. Man was free to choose and was ultimately held responsible for his own actions. The concept of fate and free will both play an important part in Oedipus' destruction. Although he was a victim of this fate, he was not controlled by it. Oedipus was destined from birth to someday marry his mother and to murder his father. This prophecy, as warned by the oracle of Apollo at Delphi, would inevitably come to pass, no matter what he may have done to avoid it. His past actions were determined by fate, but what he did in Thebes, raising himself to the level of the gods by circumventing the divine will, he did so from his own will, leading to his tragic flaw of hubris. In order for the Greek audience to relate to the tragic figure, he had to have some type of flaw. This brought the character down to a human level, presenting the fear of, "it could happen to me." Oedipus' pride, disbelief in the gods, and quest for the truth, ultimately contributed to his destruction. When Oedipus was told that he was responsible for the murder of Laius, he becomes enraged and calls the old oracle a liar, pushing himself up to god-type status. The chorus warns us of man's need to have reverence for the gods, and the dangers of too much pride, but Oedipus is blinded by the desire to uncover the truth about Laius' murder and the mystery surrounding his own birth. Should we feel pity? The answer can go either way, depends on how one looks at things. We should have pity when talking about Oedipus' as a murderer or of his marriage to his mother. This fate was determined years ago and is out of Oedipus hands. So pity then? Yes, we should have pity for the king. But hold your horses. Oedipus' ruins everything for himself the moment he calls the oracle a liar and elevates himself to god status. He isn't a god, so he shouldn't be acting like he is. He should show respect and gratitude that he is alive. The prophecy could easily have said that he was to die at birth. Then what, Oedipus wouldn't even of had a life. He lacks the concept that the gods have everything predetermined, that his life is subject to what the gods feel like one day. He should be grateful for life, even if he has been put through a horrible scenario. Oedipus knew that his fate had indeed come to pass and feels cursed by it. At the end of this tragic story, Oedipus gouges out his eyes and says that it was his own hands that struck him. We see here that he has claimed full responsibility for his actions. Oedipus is accepting the full burden of his acts and knows that he must be punished for his sins, showing his free will. But remember that his tragic fate come about because of the god's so called order, that every sin mush have a punishment attached to it. But lets set the record straight. Oedipus isn't necessarily guilty of killing his father and marrying his mother. The true sin lay in his attempt to raise himself to the level of the gods, by trying to escape this fate. Ending is key when it comes to a tragedy. And the chorus exemplifies this very well. They leave the spectators with a word of insight at the conclusion of the play. The only way to true happiness is not taking anything for granted, and always remember to have respect towards the gods, or one will end up like Oedipus. The chorus speaks the truth and sums up the tragedy in one sentence for all to understand and for all to remember.