Oedipus is a puppet in the hands of gods who struggles unconsciously through his medium of free will to avert the fate imposed by gods and tightens the snare around himself to accomplish the wish of gods with his excessive pride. Justify the statement with reference to the play.

Q.1: Oedipus is a puppet in the hands of gods who struggles unconsciously through his medium of free will to avert the fate imposed by gods and tightens the snare around himself to accomplish the wish of gods with his excessive pride. Justify the statement with reference to the play.

Ans .Oedipus is a puppet in the hands of gods. The ancient Greek believed in the power of gods. They thought that their lives are driven with the will of gods. Gods dictate the persons in different ways. In Greek tragedies suspense and action is created through mysteries of life. The man’s fate is unchangeable and pre-determined was the belief of Greek which is called fatalism. Man is not capable of changing his destiny, he is a puppet in hands of gods. The Greek did not show any reluctance or doubt to accept the will of gods. Sophocles presents in his works that man has free-will but the supernatural powers do not allow him to act according to his free-will. He present’s the theory of Greeks, known as fatalism in Oedipus Rex. Here he also shows that if a person does not accept the will of gods he may suffer from worse circumstances. In Oedipus Rex we find both things side by side fate and free-will. Oedipus tries to escape from his fate, he he wants to avide from the prophecy of oracle:

“Long ago Apollo told me I was doomed to sleep with my mother and spill my father’s blood murdered with him with these two hands of mine that is way I never return to Corinth.”

Here we find him innocent because he does ot want to commit this sin, instead he leaves Corinth to avoid it. He is a puppet in the hands of gods who took him to Thebes to fulfill the will of gods. Fate is usually blamed on individual beliefs of superstitions. Oedipus was fearful of his fate because of his beliefs in the gods and oracles. Oedipus being a king wants to save his city and people. He is asked to punish the murderer of king Laius. Here the role of fate is once again crystal clear. Creon brings Tiresias to guide Oedipus to solve this problem. Tiresias the blind prophet knows all about the fate of Oedipus but he does not wants to reveal it.

“The truth will come, by itself, the truth will come, no matter how I shroud it in silence.”

     “   God help you, Oedipus you were born to suffer, born to misery and grief.”

In the end of play he recognizes the authority of gods.  Oedipus tries his best to go against the will of god but their will prevails and he acts like a puppet in their hands.