Oedipus The King And Antigone - 948 Words

Humans can attempt to avoid a certain fate but if destinies are fixed they cannot be altered. Sophocles supports the notion that free will eludes us in works such as Oedipus the King and Antigone. Oedipus, Creon, Antigone, and Tiresias are characters in these epics whose lives represented the battle of truth and wisdom. Oedipus attempted to escape the prophecy in which he killed his own father and married his mother. He hastily discovered his past while trying to cure his city, and his efforts to change his fate fail when the prophecy is realized. His daughter Antigone wanted revenge after Oedipus’ death. Creon would not bury her brother so she did it herself and then allowed Creon to punish her by enclosing her in a tomb. She believed in†¦show more content†¦He no longer craved physical sight after his inability to see metaphorically. After that horrid deed, he notified the Chorus, â€Å"It was Apollo, friends, Apollo, that brought this bitter bitterness, my sorrows to completion. But the hands that struck me was none but my own.† (Sophocles 168-169) He accepted the Gods’ control over fate, uncontrollable by humanity. He, however, longed to reassure the strength of free will. The Gods did not order him to do so therefore it occurred at his own freedom. He wanted to break free from the motive of destiny. Despite this, it could be argued that it was his fate to stab himself in reaction. Without the prediction, the stabbing would have never transpired. Oedipus admitted defeat to the power of fate by blaming Apollo for his tragic ending, and to his blindness. Thus, his act of free will was in reaction to his predetermined fate. Death through a sinful family already faces Antigone, so she acknowledges her fate. She did not fear darkness because she knew it was coming, so her persona represented such. In the beginning, Antigone and her sister, Ismene, were arguing over the burial. Ismene did not want any involvement since Creon forbidde n it, as Polynices created destruction in Thebes. She said, â€Å"I shall yield in this to the authorities.† (183) Antigone was resentful because she knew the Gods believed in burial of the dead. Thus, she sealed her destiny to die by her determination to bury him. She exclaimed, â€Å"I