Oedipus and Maze of Destiny Essay -- Literary Analysis

Responsibility is key to living a life that is one's own. In the play, "Oedipus Rex," by Sophocles, The tragic protagonist, Oedipus, was afflicted with a harsh sense of guilt once he learned that he has killed his father and married his mother. The play presents this appalling outcome through a prophecy that leads the audience to assume that Oedipus, like the rest of humanity, has little control over their destinies. People of the time when the play was first written, as well as many Christians today believe that God has a plan for everyone, but they are still responsible for the choices they make. In a life of uncertainty, people must try not to be afraid of what may lie ahead and press forward. Many tough decisions must be made that will develop aspects of their characters along these paths, which were separately designed for specific people. In this sense, life can be thought of as a maze. In Oedipus's case, he was given a hint about one of the paths within his maze. Another thought that exemplifies the significance that free will holds, is seen in elements of Sophocles' classic, which revealed that Oedipus had more knowledge over the details of his dilemma than he let himself become conscious of. The last idea will reveal how the onset of fear will push people down a treacherous path of risk and pain, which is also seen in the play through multiple characters. Free will is an attribute that all people possess. It could work as a tool to get individuals through the scary twists their lives may entail. It could also work against them in many ways, which depends on the level of human weakness and ignorance. But, the most important assertion that can be made after considering the argument of, "fate vs. free will," is that... ...e individual and lays out the structure of the life that this person was meant to wander. Similar to God, Apollo could only predict the different paths that Oedipus would take. The unchangeable factors of life have a large effect on how a person lives, but this does not mean that they are not the leaders of their own destinies. The knowledge of what was to come made Oedipus’s journey much more complicated, but it was his duty to deal with it in his own way, because this maze was his own to bid upon. Works Cited Sophocles, Frederic Will, and Bernard Knox. Oedipus the King. New York: Pocket, 2005. Print. Sophocles, Frederic Will, and Bernard Knox. "Critical Experts." Oedipus the King. New York: Pocket, 2005. Print. Abcarian, Richard, Marvin Klotz, and Samuel Cohen. Literature: the Human Experience. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martins, 2010. Print.