Essay on What Roles Do Fate and Free Will Play in Oedipus?

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Oedipus is more or less an illustration that one can’t escape fate and it will hold power no matter what you do. . The Greeks of that time believed that fate could not be changed like when Zeus was tempted in a lliad to change fate by rescuing a favorite person destined to die his wife and daughter talk him out of it, but they also believed that an individual chose his own fate through the decision he made. In this case, I agree that the two go hand in hand. A prophecy foretold that Oedipus was destined to kill his father and marry his mother. Oedipus killing Laius was free will, though of course he did not realize Laius was his biological father. Oedipus marrying Jocasta was free will, though he did not realize that Jocasta was his biological mother. However, if Oedipus knew that Laius was his father before he had killed him, this would not have changed the matter of Laius' death, just the way in which he had died. Laius was fated to die at the hand of his own son, whether his son knew who his father was or not, and regardless of whether Oedipus had any intention to kill his father. Instead of the two meeting while Oedipus is traveling to Thebes and the two having an argument where Laius is to be killed by Oedipus, let's say something else happens instead. Let's say the wagon in which Oedipus had been traveling to Thebes in is approaching Laius' wagon, and suddenly Oedipus' horse is stung by a bee. The horse rushes off, spooked and in pain, and the horse can't be stopped. It plows into Laius' wagon, killing Laius. An unfortunate twist of fate, but even if Oedipus had known Laius was his father, it would not have prevented Laius' death. Was free will at play here? Yes, but also I think in that case it was fate but free will. If he had known who his father was he would never have killed him and if he had known who his mother was he would never have married her.

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