Jocasta’s philosophy of life is part of the main issue of Sophocles’ play ‘King Oedipus’: destiny vs. freewill. Her statement “chance rules our lives”, however, is quite ironic as Jocasta had taken the fate of her son, Oedipus, very seriously when he was first born, so much so as to have him left to die on Mount Cithaeron in order to avoid his destiny. Oedipus is also very closely related to this debate. Was it chance that caused him to kill his father and marry his mother as was prophesied or was it fate? This debate then extends to whether Oedipus deserved his self-inflicted punishment for his crimes. If it was fate and hence unavoidable, how could he be held responsible?
Jocasta paid a very heavy price for her attempts to thwart her son’s fate. By sending him away to be exposed to the elements and die, rather than allowing him to live to fulfil his prophesised fate, Jocasta was effectively denying the gods as well as setting up the situation for the prophecy to come into reality. By the choices she made, Oedipus grew up, by chance, not knowing who his true parents were so when he was killing his father and marrying his mother, by choice, he had no reason to think he might possibly be completing his fate. Ironically, Jocasta’s fear of destiny was what brought it around and set her own fate. She believed she had disproved the prophecy and hence she rejected the gods and fate – “a fig for divination!” – only to learn that she was completely wrong and committed suicide for her punishment.
The Essay on Jocasta Oedipus Gods Test
Blessed is the man that endure th temptation: for when he is tried, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love Him. (James 1: 12) 'Such is the proclamation in the Holy Bible, and so was the proclamation in ancient Greece. Since the founding of religion, the gods have sought to test those with power. Jocasta was sent by Apollo to do just that: to test Oedipus ...
Jocasta did help set Oedipus’ fate but he had a hand in it himself. The three flaws of his personality, rashness, quick and brutal temper and pride, lead him straight to his wretched fate. First of all, when he first heard of the prophecy, his rashness caused him to flee Corinth. But before this he had been told that Polybus and Meropé were not his biological parents. “Though perhaps I took it to heart more than deserved.” If he had thought things through, Oedipus would have most likely decided that he was of no threat to them, since they were not his parents and that it was safe for him to stay.
Secondly, Oedipus’ almost uncontrollable temper caused him to kill his father. It was fate that they two of them should meet at the crossroads but it was Oedipus’ choice to water the soil with his father’s blood. Had he been able to control himself, he would not have murdered “every man of them” there that fateful day. This situation is also an example of Oedipus’ rashness as surely he could have seen that this man in the carriage was of importance due to all of the guards with him and the fashion in which he travelled. Also he could have realised that since Polybus and Meropé were not his real parents, he should be avoiding killing any man who would be of suitable age to be his father, as Laius was as well being sure not to marry any women older than himself.
Thirdly, Oedipus’ pride at his own abilities gave him reason to accept Jocasta’s hand in marriage. “I, ignorant Oedipus, came and stopped the riddler’s mouth, guessing the truth by mother-wit, not bird-lore.” He was only a young man when he accepted the offer and had nothing to offer the people of Thebes except for his ability to solve riddles so it was very presumptuous of him to take the position, completing the prophecy. (This is not to say that he didn’t have other qualities that also made him a good king.)
Despite Oedipus’ involvement in his fate, some have argued that Oedipus did not deserve the harsh treatment he dealt out for himself because he could not help but commit the acts: they were inevitable no matter what he did. On the other hand, through his bad characteristics, which he could have controlled, he caused the events to come around so that all the punishments he received, though harsh, were just. “It must be so.”
The Essay on Oedipus Fate Vs Free Will
In Oedipus the King, one of Sophocles' most popular plays, Sophocles clearly depicts the Greek's popular belief that fate will control a man's life despite of man's free will. Man was free to choose and was ultimately held responsible for his own actions. Throughout Oedipus the King, the concept of fate and free will plays an integral part in Oedipus' destruction. Destined to marry his mother and ...
It was a mixture of fate and freewill that determined the lives of the characters in the play. Any attempts that they made to avoid their foretold destinies appeared to be in vain as their fates were already set. However, there were choices that each character could have made in order to change the outcome of their lives but their own flaws would never have let this happen.
