Friday, 9 November 2012

In Oedipus Rex, how does Oedipus struggle with free will?

Through
most of the play, as far asis concerned, he isn't "struggling" with free will at all,
he is acting upon it.  However, once the real truth is unraveled, his free will and past actions
based upon his own choices are revealed as his tragic flaw -- theof
believing that he could outsmart the gods and avoid the prophecy that he would "kill his
father and marry his mother."

is ain the true
classical sense of the word, which means that Oedipus must be the architect of his own demise,
not a victim of circumstance.  This sets him up for a struggle with the pre-ordained oracle from
the gods, suggesting that Oedipus, if we observe his actions as representative of the human
struggle, is destined for his downfall because he attempts to act upon his own impulses (or free
will), rather than acting in service to the gods.

So, it is Oedipus' false
sense of free will that sets him up for tragic consequences in the following ways:


  • He leaves the home of his assumed...

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