Fear Of The Greek Gods In Oedipus The King

Their gods play such a big role in their lives, it gives them motivation and hope that at the end of all the suffering, there will be at least some good. And at a time when suffering was widespread, their eyes were watching god throughout it all, for suffering means more worship in times of need. “It was inevitable that she should accept any inconsistency and cruelty from her deity as all good worshippers do from theirs. All gods who receive homage are cruel. All gods dispense suffering without reason.

If they didn’t venerate the gods, they wouldn’t have any faith in them. Also, the fact that there are temples to the gods portrays reverence as

For the most part, when there is a decision made such as multiple human lives or wrong deaths, the gods take that into consideration and come up with a decision together. Although, when it involves protection over a person of just allowing a person to see something in a dream, the gods do not speak with other gods. That one god that is making the decision makes it alone. Therefore, the big decisions such as life, death, and the eradication of a species seems to go through multiple gods. Though, the small decisions such as helping or favor seems to go through only the god that is involved. All in all, the gods play a significant role in the fate of the people. They determine life and death, health and strength. The gods can make really good things happen to people or really awful things happen to

Although Oedipus’s fate was already determined, he is not just a mere puppet of the gods, meaning he can control his own life. Before full knowledge of his unintentional incest, he tries to flee town in order to avoid marrying his mother. By doing this he is taking matters

Equally important to the role of fate in bringing about the downfall of Oedipus is the human flaw of arrogance that clouded Oedipus’ intellect to reason. One can ultimately see this human flaw in the beginning of the play as he says “Here I am myself – you all know me, the world knows my fame: I am Oedipus” (p 262, line 7-9). One day Oedipus heard someone say that he wasn’t his father’s son in which bothered him greatly and triggered his curiosity in whether Polybus and Merope were his biological parents. So, as a way to figure out his identity and true origins, he left to Delphi to see the Oracle. However, instead of answering Oedipus’ answer of who his true parents were, the Oracle told him of his fate that “You are fated to couple with your mother, you will bring a breed of children into the light no man can bear to see – you will kill your father the one who gave you life” (p. 297, lines 873-875). Hence, his arrogance is clearly showed as he disregards the prophecy, similar to the actions of Laius and Jocasta by escaping it, as he abandons Corinth and sets forth to a place where he “would never see the shame of all those oracles come true” (p. 297, lines 879-880). His flaw of

In Greek Mythology, it can be easily argued if Greek gods were seen as benefactors or tormentors of mankind. Although there are many gods and goddesses who helped mankind, there are also many who destroyed them and their living conditions. In this type of argument, the decision would depend on the god or goddess and what they offered to society. It can be said that these gods were either one or the other, if they were not portrayed as benefactors then they were tormentors. Some Greek gods contributed good things such as light, sun, rain for crops to grow, fire to cook the food, knowledge and other things like medicine, art, music and poetry but, there are those that brought famine, plague, war and death to society.

In trying to run from this prophecy, did he really do anything any other person, given the culture, wouldn’t have done? Is Oedipus a victim of fate or is he responsible for the choices he makes?

Tragedy in family can have a lasting impact throughout generations.[Add connecting sentence]Death first struck this family when Oedipus,a blind man, found out that he had married his mother, and he took his own life by “gouging” (Sophocles 3)his eyes out. His wife and mother felt so abominably about what she had she took a “knotted rope” (Sophocles 6) and hung herself. Polyneices had a fight with his brother which didn’t end to well they both died. This Leaves Antigone and Ismene all alone and with a problem their brother Polyneices can not be buried in the city because he went against Creon ruling.Will his offspring be able to live down the curse of Oedipus? In this paper I want to prove that paralyzing fear and careless fearlessness are

Throughout the tragedy, "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles, the authority of the gods and their power is challenged. Gods are a key element in driving the plot of "Oedipus Rex”. This shows the author's sense of cosmic order, and this belief is reflected in the characters he writes. The citizens of Thebes, and their attitude towards the gods, help show the beliefs of Sophocles through a multitude of ways. By analyzing the text written by Sophocles, it is evident that he believed the gods to be cruel, powerful, and that they commanded respect.

While reading the play Oedipus the King the audience experiences both pity and fear. The chorus portrays the feelings of the characters in the play to the readers/ audience. When Oedipus threatens to kill Creon the audience fears him and what he might possibly do. Because Oedipus suffers from hubris it is easy for him to become angry when he does not get what's he wants, because he is a royal and usually royals get what they want. When the audience finds out the Oedipus killed his father and married his mother and fulfilled the prophecy the audience felt pity towards him.

           Oedipus has spent all his life running from his fate. He has, we learn, been told that he is fated to kill his father and marry his mother. And he refused to accept that fate. He has spent much of his life moving around, so as to avoid his fate. It was a

Oedipus’ destiny or fate had little to do with his downfall. The prophet told Oedipus that he was destined to kill his father and marry his mother, but the prophet never mentioned Oedipus murdering Laius on the highway, or solving the Sphinx’s riddle, or accepting and taking advantage of his kingship. Oedipus blinding himself was an example of free will, “for he removed from…[Jocasta’s] garment the golden brooches which she was wearing…” by choice “…and struck the sockets of his own eyes..” blinding himself Free will and hubris, according to the ancient Greeks, were separate from unavoidable fate. Oedipus’s fate was to kill his father and marry his mother. However, everything else, including fleeing Corinth, solving the Sphinx’s riddle, and finally pursuing the truth about his life, was by his own free will, a direct result of his ego and pride. Oedipus Rex is a story about the dangers of pride and arrogance, one teaching about the importance of humility and tolerance, and one stressing about the control of hubris, a potentially perilous quality that destroyed Oedipus’s vision and his life.

In ancient times, gods were a holy image in people’s mind. Each god had its own role in the universe. Such as the role of creation, the controller of the nature, and the role of the destiny control. The gods had extreme powers, and controlled everything in the world. Worshiped gods became a daily routine for ancient people. In the minds of people in ancient times, worshiped their gods were to prevent these gods became furious, and punished them with their extreme power. Even though the gods were extremely powerful, in many epic texts we could see they also had emotions and characteristics that were just like humans. However, there were still some major differences between the gods and humans.

In Oedipus, the King, the main character, Oedipus, starts the play in the highest prestige, he is the King of Thebes and is held in high regard to almost all citizens for his prosperous reign. By the end of the play, Oedipus is vilified by his citizens and almost all the people of Thebes. I argue that Oedipus’ downfall is directly linked to his rejection of religious guidance and omens; namely, the Gods and the oracle. One could argue that no divine entity openly acts out toward Oedipus, however this analysis will focus on more indirect patterns and instances of divine action. Oedipus’ constant disapproval of religious consultation and figures is seen as a slight to the Gods and so they contribute to his fall from reign. These divine

Oedipus’s life and destiny was said to be set by the god’s, but together with his parent’s lies and his own ignorance, he brought upon his downfall foretold so long ago. It was only when he was born that a prophecy of Oedipus, who was to kill his father and marry his mother. Terrified and without much thought of the consequences, Iokaste and Laius abandoned the child to die. Oedipus did not die. Instead he became a strong and well respected prince, who believed his real parents were king and queen of Corinth. Oedipus’s adoptive parents kept him in the dark about his true identity. For this reason, when ignorant Oedipus hears of his prophecy, he runs away terrified. Ironically, on his journey away from home, he encounters his real father, Laius King of Thebes, which he kills due to an argument. Moreover, he goes on to become King of Thebes and husband of Iokaste, his biological mother. So, without realizing, the fate that Oedipus wanted to impede so badly occurs right before his eyes, showing that fate “lies within Apollo’s competence/As it is his concern” (Oed.