It seems that Oedipus' fate would always have turned out the same way. It might seem that if the parents had disregarded the vision of their son's future or had chosen to respond to it in some other way that the outcome could have been different. This, however, would be unlikely in relation to the story because the vision would be realized however they had chosen to react. The only thing that could be changed would be the response, the events that lead to his fate. It would appear that Oedipus was a born loser of sorts. The Story Depends on it.
Oedipus did not have direct control over his fate because he did not know who his parents really were. He thought his parents were two totally different people; and he was trying to avoid them, not his REAL parents. If he really knew who his parents were then he could have avoided the right people, so his fate was inevitable. It also could have changed if the shepherd did what he was told to do - kill Oedipus in the first place.
Oedipus' fate could not have been changed. His pride would have gotten him into trouble at some point and he would have made another mistake. It's his pride, a rather unfortunate character flaw, that sets his fate for him. It's out of control. He has this idea that everybody should just tell him everything all the time and nobody should disobey him in his city and the pride that he oozes gets him into these conflicts that he just isn't mentally prepared to handle.
Assuming that Oedipus the King is a reflection of life in some way and is not entirely a fictional fantasy and completely unrealistic, then, yes, it is always possible to have another outcome in life than the one we have had or the one portrayed in a narrative. But also, given the choices which Oedipus makes, it is inevitable that Oedipus is destined to experience the outcome which develops in the play. His unwillingness to look more deeply into the circumstances of his origins, his defensiveness at so many points of action and his excessive pride in his own opinion are the aspects of his character which lead him into a tragic path. In this world no one can sustain himself without careful self-examination, something he was unwilling to do until too late.
It seems that Oedipus' fate would always have turned out the same way. It might seem that if the parents had disregarded the vision of their son's future or had chosen to respond to it in some other way that the outcome could have been different. This, however, would be unlikely in relation to the story because the vision would be realized however they had chosen to react. The only thing that could be changed would be the response, the events that lead to his fate.
ReplyDeleteIt would appear that Oedipus was a born loser of sorts. The Story Depends on it.
Oedipus did not have direct control over his fate because he did not know who his parents really were. He thought his parents were two totally different people; and he was trying to avoid them, not his REAL parents. If he really knew who his parents were then he could have avoided the right people, so his fate was inevitable. It also could have changed if the shepherd did what he was told to do - kill Oedipus in the first place.
ReplyDeleteOedipus' fate could not have been changed. His pride would have gotten him into trouble at some point and he would have made another mistake. It's his pride, a rather unfortunate character flaw, that sets his fate for him. It's out of control. He has this idea that everybody should just tell him everything all the time and nobody should disobey him in his city and the pride that he oozes gets him into these conflicts that he just isn't mentally prepared to handle.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAssuming that Oedipus the King is a reflection of life in some way and is not entirely a fictional fantasy and completely unrealistic, then, yes, it is always possible to have another outcome in life than the one we have had or the one portrayed in a narrative. But also, given the choices which Oedipus makes, it is inevitable that Oedipus is destined to experience the outcome which develops in the play. His unwillingness to look more deeply into the circumstances of his origins, his defensiveness at so many points of action and his excessive pride in his own opinion are the aspects of his character which lead him into a tragic path. In this world no one can sustain himself without careful self-examination, something he was unwilling to do until too late.
ReplyDelete