November Monthly Blog

I think question seven of the Socratic seminar questions for Oedipus the King is important. The question asks, “Did Oedipus have a chance? Did he get a raw deal? Where did he go wrong?” The question refers to Oedipus’s ability to escape his fate. In Oedipus the King, the idea of fate is carries through the play. In the play, both Oedipus and his parents try to escape their fate. Oedipus’s parents, King Laius and Queen Jocasta, learn of their fate from an oracle, who tells them that their son will kill Laius. They try to avoid this by leaving their baby son to die on a mountain. Oedipus is rescued and grows up with different parents. He learns that his fate is to kill his father and marry his mother so he runs away. After he runs away, he kills his real father and marries his real mother unknowingly. He fulfills his fate and his parents fulfill theirs. I do not believe that Oedipus had a chance. In the play, fate is inescapable. Oedipus cannot do anything to avoid his fate. Even though he tries to run away from, he actually runs to it. I think he did get a raw deal as far as not being able to avoid his fate. However, he was willing to kill someone over passing first so he sort of deserves it. I think Oedipus goes wrong in searching out the oracle. He should not have gone looking the truth because it destroys him. Also he goes wrong when he tries to escape his fate. He knows that fate is inescapable and comes from a greater power yet he still tries to control it. He is very impulsive and that causes him many of his problems. Today, fate or destiny does not have as big of a presence in society. Now, people believe that they control their life and it is their actions and decisions that affect their future. Some people, based on their religion, believe that God already knows their whole life and their future or that God has a plan for them. However, it is not the same as an inescapable fate because their actions still affect their life. I do believe that some people today get raw deals. A small mistake or bad choices can ruin a person’s life and there is not the excuse of a predetermined fate, it is just their fault. I think a lot of people go wrong by embracing the ideas of carpe diem and YOLO. They act impulsively instead of considering how their actions will affect their future. Compared to the characters in Oedipus the King, people today are a lot less concerned with their future. There are definitely many people who still worry about the future and act carefully but impulsive actions are becoming increasingly more common. I definitely fall under the carefully planning and acting category. I try really hard to avoid things that will negatively affect my future and so am hardly impulsive. I believe that my actions and decisions affect my future but also that God has a plan for me and already knows how my life goes and what my future holds.