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    Character Is Destiny

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    Madni Book Depot
    The document discusses the Greek tragedy Oedipus Rex and the concept of fate and destiny. It describes how King Laius was told his son would kill him, so he abandoned his son Oedipus on a mountain. Despite Laius and Jocasta's efforts, Oedipus grew up to unwittingly kill his father and marry his mother, fulfilling the prophecy. The document argues that the tragic events in the lives of Oedipus, Laius, and Jocasta were predetermined by fate or the gods, and that even taking measures to avoid their destinies, the prophecies still came true.

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    Character Is Destiny

    Uploaded by

    Madni Book Depot
    2K views2 pages
    The document discusses the Greek tragedy Oedipus Rex and the concept of fate and destiny. It describes how King Laius was told his son would kill him, so he abandoned his son Oedipus on a mountain. Despite Laius and Jocasta's efforts, Oedipus grew up to unwittingly kill his father and marry his mother, fulfilling the prophecy. The document argues that the tragic events in the lives of Oedipus, Laius, and Jocasta were predetermined by fate or the gods, and that even taking measures to avoid their destinies, the prophecies still came true.

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    CHARACTER IS DESTINY-converted

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    The document discusses the Greek tragedy Oedipus Rex and the concept of fate and destiny. It describes how King Laius was told his son would kill him, so he abandoned his son Oedipus on a mountain. Despite Laius and Jocasta's efforts, Oedipus grew up to unwittingly kill his father and marry his mother, fulfilling the prophecy. The document argues that the tragic events in the lives of Oedipus, Laius, and Jocasta were predetermined by fate or the gods, and that even taking measures to avoid their destinies, the prophecies still came true.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    2K views2 pages

    Character Is Destiny

    Uploaded by

    Madni Book Depot
    The document discusses the Greek tragedy Oedipus Rex and the concept of fate and destiny. It describes how King Laius was told his son would kill him, so he abandoned his son Oedipus on a mountain. Despite Laius and Jocasta's efforts, Oedipus grew up to unwittingly kill his father and marry his mother, fulfilling the prophecy. The document argues that the tragic events in the lives of Oedipus, Laius, and Jocasta were predetermined by fate or the gods, and that even taking measures to avoid their destinies, the prophecies still came true.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
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    Oedipus Rex: Character is Destiny

    “Oedipus Rex” is a tragedy of fate. The crucial events in the


    play have been pre-determined by fate or the gods. Man
    seems helpless facing the circumstances which mould his
    destiny. King Laius was told that his own son by Jocasta would kill
    him. Laius did everything possible to prevent such a disaster.
    Once Jocasta gave birth to a son, Laius had him chained and
    handed him over to a trustworthy servant with strict orders that
    the child be exposed on. Mt. Cithaeron and allowed to perish. But
    the servant, out of compassion, handed over the child to a
    Corinthian shepherd who passed him on to the Corinthian King.
    The child grew up as the son of the King and Queen of Corinth
    and later killed his true father, Laius, in complete ignorance.
    Apollo’s oracle was fulfilled even though Laius and Jocasta took
    the extreme step to escape the fate foretold by the oracle.
    Oedipus had also to submit to the destiny which Apollo's oracle
    pronounced for him. He learnt from the oracle that he would kill
    his own father and marry his own mother. He, too, tried his
    utmost to avert a terrible fate and fled from Corinth. His
    wanderings took him to Thebes, where people were facing a great
    misfortune. King Laius had been killed and the city was in the grip
    of the Sphinx, who was causing a lot of destruction because
    nobody was able to solve her riddle. Oedipus solved the riddle
    and put an end to the monster. Oedipus was joyfully received by
    Theban people as their King and was given Laius’s widow as his
    wife. Thus, in complete ignorance of the identity of his parents,
    he killed his father and married his mother. He performed these
    disastrous acts not only unknowingly, but as a result of his efforts
    to escape the cruel fate which the oracle at had communicated to
    him.

    It is evident that the occurrences which bring about the tragedy


    in the life of Laius, Oedipus, and Jocasta are the work of
    that mysterious supernatural power called fate or destiny or
    be given the name of Apollo. This supernatural power
    had pre-determined certain tragic events and even informed
    the human beings in advance. These human beings take
    whatever measures, to avert those events; and yet things turn
    out exactly as they had been foretold by the oracles. Oedipus has
    done nothing at all to deserve the fate which overtakes him. Nor
    do Laius and Jocasta deserve the fate they meet.

    According to Aristotle the tragic hero is a prosperous man who


    falls into misfortune due to some serious defect or hamartia. No
    doubt that Oedipus is an able ruler, a father of his people, a
    great administrator and an outstanding intellect. His chief
    care is not for himself but for the people of the State. The people
    look upon him as their savior and worshipped him. He is also
    a religious man in the orthodox sense. That such a man should
    meet the sad fate is unbearably painful to us.

    Oedipus is not, however, a perfect man or a perfect King. He


    does suffer from a hamartia or a defect of character. He is hot-
    tempered, rash, hasty in judgments, easily provoked and
    somewhat arbitrary. Though in the beginning his attitude
    towards Teiresias is one of reverence, he quickly loses his
    temper and speaks to the prophet in an insulting
    manner accusing both him and Creon of treason and showing
    a blind suspicion towards friends. His position and
    authority seem to be leading him to become a tyrant. Creon
    has to remind him that the city does not belong to him alone.
    Even when blinded he draws the reproach:

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