Oedipus the King

Sample Lesson - Introduction

Lesson 1.11: Fate vs. Free Will Smackdown

Oedipus, Fate's gonna knock you out.
(Source)

Ladies and gentlemen, it's fate vs. free will, 21st-century style.

• In the free will camp, we have the people who believe they control their own destinies through the choices they make in life.
• On the fate side are those who believe that what happens to them is predetermined and out of their hands.

Either some Higher Power is calling the shots or we are. Not both.

Sophocles & co. didn't see it that way. For the ancient Greeks, fate and free will were more intertwined concepts: a person may think he is exercising his free will and making his own choices, but in reality, he's just a little puppet—the gods are pulling the strings.

The story of Oedipus is basically designed to prove that free will ain't got nothin' on fate. Both Oedipus and Laius try to outmaneuver their destinies, and until the anagnorisis, Oedipus and Jocasta think they have succeeded in trumping fate with their free will.

Turns out they're wrong.

Remember Oedipus' "choice" to kill Laius? It isn't much of a choice, considering Oedipus is destined make it. It all circles back to Sophocles' use of syllogism: if fate controls man, and man makes choices, then fate controls choices.

Score one for fate.

Spoiler alert: your final essay for this unit will focus on this theme. And since every good essay needs evidence from the play, you will need to find plenty of quotes that express the characters' views about fate and free will. We're going to give you a chance to do just that in this lesson—and don't tell us that Fate ate your homework.

Sample Lesson - Reading

Reading 1.1.11a: Truth and Consequences

We've seen the peripeteia and the anagnorisis; now it's time for the catastrophe.

Since the definition of catastrophe is a terrible suffering, it's no surprise that what happens next won't be pretty. Consider this your trigger warning: things are about to get gory. The violence happens offstage, but Sophocles spares us no detail in describing the scene that follows Oedipus' recognition of his identity.

Start reading when Oedipus exits the stage, at "CHORUS/(Str. 1)/Races of mortal man/Whose life is but a span…" Continue reading up 'til Creon's entrance, ending at "OEDIPUS/…I myself must bear/The load of guilt that none but I can share./[Enter CREON.]"

As always, head on over to our summary if you need some assistance.

Sample Lesson - Reading

Reading 1.1.11b: Why Should I Care?

Stop us if you've heard this one before: guy walks into a bar, meets Han Solo, macks on his sister, steps up to save a galaxy, and finds out by the end of the second movie that his greatest enemy is—gasp!—his father.

Yes, it's a familiar tale. But not just for all moviegoers post-1977; also for all theatergoers after, say, 429 BCE.

Take out that bit about Han Solo (and maybe the bar) and change sister to mother…and you've got the bare bones of Sophocles' Oedipus the King: guy gets chosen as the One to battle evil (sadly, not a host of stormtroopers; Sophocles goes with a plague caused by the evil presence of a murderer in Thebes), macks on his mother, and finds out that he himself was his father's killer without even knowing it.

Our point?

Most people today don't believe blindly in fate. But all of Sophocles' characters believe in it to the point where the father of this truly dysfunctional family (King Laius) is willing to order his infant son (Oedipus) killed when a prophecy tells him that his son will be his murderer. And, of course, all of the father's efforts to prevent his own death don't even work because these characters have no real control over their own lives.

The neat thing about fate in both Oedipus the King and the Star Wars saga is that, really, these guys don't have any control over their own lives…because they're fictional.

So who's really controlling Oedipus' fate? The gods…or Sophocles?

Maybe we should ask George Lucas.

Sample Lesson - Activity

Activity 1.11a: Let's Talk about Fate

We've heard from all the main characters on the subject of fate:

• Jocasta poo-pooed it 'til it poo-pooed her.
• Oedipus thought fate was his homie 'til it screwed him over.
• Even the Chorus has some very specific ideas about Fate and who exactly is in charge here (hint: not us.).

Remember that the Chorus speaks for Greek society, voicing social concerns and opinions in contrast to the actions of the main characters. That means that their comments on fate most closely align with Sophocles' own philosophy. Translation: they're important.

Your task for this activity is to collect quotes about fate from the various characters in the play. These quotes will be invaluable assets when it comes time to write those final essays, so save yourself some grief and do a thorough job now.

You should collect at least 5 quotes, but the more the merrier. For each quote:

• Identify the speaker.
• Explain the context (what is happening at this point in the play).
• Explain the quote's significance or what it reveals about the character's attitude toward fate.

Sample Lesson - Activity