Oedipus the King: Oedipus And The Gods :: essays research papers fc

In Ancient Greece the existence of gods and fate prevailed. In the Greek calamity King Oedipus by the tenderwright Sophocles these topics be heavily involved. We receive a clear acumen into their roles in the play such as they some(prenominal) interpret mans actions and that challenging their authority leads to a fall. The concepts of the gods and fate were created to explain things. In Ancient Greece there was a lot that was not understood cognizance was in its infancy and everything that happened could be explained by the will of the gods or fate. The gods were the apex of power they supposedly existed since the beginning of meter. They were immortal, omnipresent and omnipotent. However, the different gods had different personalities. In this sense they were anthropomorphic. Having such mastery of the world would enable them to control mans behavior, as is shown in King Oedipus. The base of fate has existed for a long time and exists even today. Fate revolves around the idea that peoples lives are predetermined and that no matter what is done it cannot be changed. With the gods it was used to explain events that seemed strange. Sophocles expands on this idea by introducing Oedipus fate. The thought of fate is strong considering no matter how gravid he disputes he still receives what was predetermined. As a baby he survived the elements on Mount Cithaeron. As Oedipus was destined to live, it shows the dominance of fate. Having fate play such a large part of the play is certainly an insight into the Greeks idea that fate controls us no matter how hard we struggle against it. In the play the dominance of the gods is shown again and again. In the second stasimon aft(prenominal) Tiresias leaves the chorus chants Zeus and Apollo know, they know, the great masters of all the dark and insight of human life, reasserting the belief in the gods power. At the very fount of the play, the priest who converses with Oedipus says . . . You cannot equal the god s, your children know that. . . , proving again the Greek belief that the gods are the height of power. However, it is not only the people that revere the gods. After Oedipus blinds himself, Creon takes control of Thebes. When Oedipus asks to be banished, Creon replies Not I. Only the gods can give you that, again acknowledging the higher(prenominal) authority of the gods.