Last Name 1   Student’s Name: Instructor: Course: Date: Oedipus Rex Oedipus Rex is a dramatic narrative that provides a perfect instance of how individuality among human beings can find means to assert their autonomy within limits established by their destiny

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Oedipus Rex

Oedipus Rex is a dramatic narrative that provides a perfect instance of how individuality among human beings can find means to assert their autonomy within limits established by their destiny. In other words, although fate certainly shapes the lives of characters in Oedipus Rex, it does not ultimately determine them. Therefore, Sophocles’ play is a narrative that shows that the culturally derived senses of autonomy and individuality are shaped by fate but not controlled by them since it is the responsibility of humans to find a means to assert their presence in the world.

In the play, prophecies are consistently revealed, which indicates that in humanity, fate is real. Yet, the directions that humans take as they move to their pre-established destiny remain their choice. The same applies to the attitudes they developed toward the decrees of the gods. For instance, at the beginning of the play, Jocasta and Laius left their son in a critical stage to thwart the devastating prophecy that he would be responsible for the death of his father and marry his mother (Chandran, 6). Moreover, Oedipus fled Corinth as soon as he learned of his fate since he assumed that the predetermined prophecy was related to polybus, whom he believed and assumed to be his father. However, as soon as he discovers that it is he who needs to be cast to eliminate the plague danger, he agrees and departs the city immediately. In essence, his decision is motivated by horror and intense shame, yet as the play continues, he has continued to show his loyalty and commitment to his people. His desire to depart is motivated by his aspiration to leave Thebes. He informs Creon that “ Drive me out of this country as fast as possible, to a place where no human voice can ever great me” (Fitts and Fingerland, 210). Although the early choices that Oedipus and his parents made were arrogant and foolish, his final decision provides him redemption. Sophocles’ play showcases that humans possess the right and freedom to choose the quality of their conduct if not always the predetermined fates of their lives.

Oedipus himself asserts the issue of individuality and development of autonomy since he does not render himself powerless. From the onset, he possesses overwhelming esteem of himself based on his frequent use of first-person pronouns. For instance, he tells Locaste that “I am not sure that the blind man cannot see, but I should know better if you have to tell me” (Fitts and Fingerland, 210). In doing so, he indicates personal power. He is also presented as a human being of relentless activities, as demonstrated by his endless search of perfection and truth even as it is clear that it might hurt him (Fitts and Fingerland, 20). For instance, he fails to surrender or submit to the gods when he realizes that he has fulfilled a prophecy he has spent his lifetime avoiding (Chowdhury, 30). Although he engages in their bidding, he takes the situation further by blinding himself. When asked why he did it, he asserts his power by claiming that it is his hand that struck it (Jemison, 1). Although he does not seek to evade punishment, he reinforces his right to decide how he will be punished. Moreover, he refuses to relinquish the power of his body and life even when he is intimidated.

Oedipus Rex is a play focusing on fate whose tragic end relies on the conflict between the vain attempts of humanity and the all-powerful god’s will. Human beings are threatened by calamities, the perception of individuals, and resignation to the will of a supernatural being. In the contemporary world, some individuals have attempted to assert similar tragic implications by showcasing the same fate conflict in narratives. If Oedipus Rex can move the modern reader relative to the contemporary Greeks, the impact of the Greek tragedy does not rely on the intersection between human will and fate, but on the material nature of the conflict.

The issue of autonomy and human freedom is foreshadowed in the play by setting the narrative long after the original prophecy is fulfilled. At the beginning of the play, Oedipus has a happy life with Jocasta. They have four children (Röhe Francisco and Maria, 3). Thebes’s prophecy acknowledges and presents him as a noble and wise leader since he defeated Sphinx and saved their lives. Apart from the emergence of the plague, he appears to live a prosperous and happy life. By setting the first scene of the play at the peak of his life, Sophocles not only showcases Oedipus' dramatic fall and extreme, but he also showcases that the most vital factor is questioning whether the prophecy will be fulfilled since it already did. The main concern is how Oedipus will address the revelation of his fate.

In the narrative, Oedipus is burdened by a devastating curse, although it is not his fault. For instance, his senses are arbitrary; his behavior and conduct are not. While his claims of an individual’s power made him influential in his sense, he could not escape the specific prophecy points. Still, a fate only demines the limits of his individuality and autonomy. Yet, within his nature, he has the freedom to behave and act as he pleases (Chandran, 6). In essence, although Oedipus Rex was written over many years ago, the narrative continues to provide individuals with frameworks of how people can and must exercise their individuality and autonomy even in the wake of supernatural forces such as fate, law, or the gods.

Sophocles, in Oedipus Rex, proves that human beings cannot evade fate since the gods have already decided it. For instance, in the narrative, the gods were aware that Oedipus would attempt to depart his home town, and this was part of the prophecy (Chowdhury, 30). Other characters also had fate rule over their autonomy and individuality. His mother, who later became his wife, attempted to evade fate by running as soon as they discovered the prophecy about their son (Christensen, 196). When the oracle informed them about the future, Jocasta decided on doing the only thing she could do to run. However, fate intervened and refused to be stopped. She asserted that fate is beyond human beings and that nothing human or no skill n the world could penetrate the future.

In conclusion, individual autonomy and individuality are shaped by fate, but they must find means to assert their mark on the people around them. The most exciting possibility is that the only crime Oedipus committed was questioning the gods. In the play, the gods are not seen but possess an indirect appearance. They are never seen clearly, but their message is conveyed through Tiresias, the blind prophet. He informs Oedipus directly that he has committed a crime by killing the King. However, Oedipus ignores him. In doing so, he tends to deny his fate. As such, in most Greek narratives, the conflict presents itself when the man character attempts to deny a fate predicted for them hence making them thwart god’s will. In other words, the gods in the play show that human fate cannot be easily thwarted by their attempt for individuality ad autonomy since any effort to evade it leads to devastating implications.