BLOG #6

FREE WILL AND DESTINY IN OEDIPUS.

I have been always told that destiny doesn't exist and that's what I believe for my own experience. We have the free will to make choices in our lives, though those choices may be going in the right or wrong direction. Oedipus, king of Thebes, had always the free will to make his own decisions without the influence of anybody, though it seems to be that his life was already determined by fate. We can see a lot of places where he could choose something different, but still he chooses always the wrong decision. When Oedipus heard the prophecy or prediction about his life (set by destiny) that he was going to kill his father and marry his mother, he chooses just ran away as the story is telling us "When I heard that, I ran away from Corinth......I went to other lands, so I would never see that prophecy fulfilled, the abomination of my evil fate."  So this shows us that Oedipus actually, chooses to leave Corinth and then try to escape of his fate.

Then when Oedipus finds Laius on the road, they started to have an argument that became a big problem, leading Oedipus to kill his father, though Oedipus didn't know about it. But still he could choose to don't kill Laius and just try to fix it by talking. I believe that all his actions that he made leaded him to do what his destiny wanted for him.

With the knowledge of his fate then he became king of Thebes and married Laius' widow Jocasta. So this is showing me that he did choose to do it. He did because his interests, so are we supposed to blame Oedipus free will or his destiny for the problems that it caused? Definitively I would say that he had always the freedom of choosing whatever he wanted.

Then When the Teiresias tried not to reveal the truth, The Oedipus was the one, who made the priest to talk: "This city gave you life and yet you refuse to answer! You speak as if you were her enemy. … For God's sake, if you know, don't turn away from us! We are pleading. We are begging you. … You will not tell? You monster! You could stir the stones of earth to a burning rage! You will never tell? What it will take?"  As the truth is getting revealed: "… You, Oedipus, are the desecrator, the polluter of this land." Oedipus does not believe (clearly his choice). He started to accuse Creon of truing to take his powers away. And still want to reveal whole truth. After talking to Jocasta Oedipus faces that he in fact might kill the king Laius. So that's why I believe in the freedom of making our own decisions for our lives, Oedipus always chooses to do something by going against the prophecy, trying to be more smart than the gods' but just unfortunately he makes it worst, leading him and his people to the be determined by the fate that the gods' said. Still free will.!!