Prophecy In Oedipus
“Show me the man whose happiness was anything more than illusion.” (59) In the ancient Greek drama of Oedipus the King, prophecy plays a major role in the play. Prophecy is considered to be something that comes from the gods, something divine that is the truth and cannot be changed. Prophecy doesn’t seem to permit concept of free-will, a highly popular and controversial topic in today’s modern world. Free-will, as defined by Merriam-Webster, is “freedom of humans to make choices that are not determined by prior causes or by divine intervention” [1]. Prophecy, as defined by Merriam-Webster, is “the inspired declaration of divine will and purpose” [2]. The two oppose each other quite clearly and in Oedipus the King, it is prophecy that takes
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When all is revealed, everything the characters did only wove them into the trap set by destiny. Oedipus, Laius, and Jocasta did everything they could to distance themselves from the prophecy, from condemning their first and only child to never seeing the only family he had ever known. Despite their best efforts, the prophecy came true. The more they fought the prophecy, the more they struggled against it, the closer they got to living the prophecy. Some might say the prophecy was only fulfilled because of chance, but those who know better, know that it was fate that controlled their deeds. The Sphinx came to Thebes, not to Corinth or any other Greek city-state. Oedipus was the only man able to solve the riddle of the Sphinx. “There was a riddle too deep for common wits; a seer should have answered it; but answer came there none from you; bird-lore and god-craft all were silent. Until I came – I, ignorant Oedipus, came – and stopped the riddler’s mouth, guessing the truth” (37). The prophecy allowed them to make their own choices, but their choices were preordained to fulfill a certain fate. The prophecy was inevitable; there was nothing they could do to stop it. Hence, prophecy abolishes the very idea of free-will for every event was preordained to complete the prophecy because of how prophecy was viewed in Ancient Greek life, the loose boundaries of the prophecy and the certainty of the outcome, however desperate the attempts of those
When all is revealed, everything the characters did only wove them into the trap set by destiny. Oedipus, Laius, and Jocasta did everything they could to distance themselves from the prophecy, from condemning their first and only child to never seeing the only family he had ever known. Despite their best efforts, the prophecy came true. The more they fought the prophecy, the more they struggled against it, the closer they got to living the prophecy. Some might say the prophecy was only fulfilled because of chance, but those who know better, know that it was fate that controlled their deeds. The Sphinx came to Thebes, not to Corinth or any other Greek city-state. Oedipus was the only man able to solve the riddle of the Sphinx. “There was a riddle too deep for common wits; a seer should have answered it; but answer came there none from you; bird-lore and god-craft all were silent. Until I came – I, ignorant Oedipus, came – and stopped the riddler’s mouth, guessing the truth” (37). The prophecy allowed them to make their own choices, but their choices were preordained to fulfill a certain fate. The prophecy was inevitable; there was nothing they could do to stop it. Hence, prophecy abolishes the very idea of free-will for every event was preordained to complete the prophecy because of how prophecy was viewed in Ancient Greek life, the loose boundaries of the prophecy and the certainty of the outcome, however desperate the attempts of those