Figurative Language Depicts the Struggle with Freewill Against Fate Oedipus Suffers - Essay Example

Figurative Language Depicts the Struggle with Freewill Against Fate Oedipus Suffers In many Greek plays the concept of fate was used as a major theme. Sophocles presents the reader with three stories about Oedipus Rex, where he struggles with his fate because of his freewill. The reader is able to see this in the first story, where Oedipus encounters the Sphinx’s Riddle and ends up sleeping with his mother and killing his father. When the reader gets to Oedipus Tyrannos, Oedipus faces a new struggle where his fate is yet again challenging his idea of freewill. Oedipus is charged with finding the killer of Laios in order to bring an end to the struggling of his people, including himself and his children. Oedipus sends Creon to Apollo to find out why his people are suffering. Upon returning, Creon tells Oedipus that they must find the killer and bring that killer to justice in order to end the suffering. The plot line once again brings about the concept of struggling with freewill based on the fate that is already plotted. Sophocles uses figurative language to show the reader this major theme in his third work. In Oedipus Tyrannos Sophocles uses similes, metaphors, imagery, and comparisons to describe Oedipus’ struggle with his fate, as well as the belief that he has freewill. To show how the theme (the struggle with freewill against fate) is further explained by figurative language, the use of similes, metaphors, and imagery will be explored. Similes are a form of figurative language found in a work of literature. The author looks for a comparison between two things; in such cases “like” or “as” can be used. “He arose for our land like a tower against death,” is a simile in which “he” is likened to a tower that stood against death (line 1200). It also brings the theme into focus. Death implies that there is suffering or pain. The theme of struggling with freewill against fate is clear because the people are suffering and they need a leader who can rise against that suffering to provide a better life. “He” in this case is Oedipus, who became king, a leader who tries to fight against fate for a better outcome, but in vain. In the beginning, Oedipus is trying to find who killed Laios. He is unaware of being the killer himself and is thus the person who must be punished in order for his people to be relieved. The simile mentions “he arose for our land” which further implies there is a relation between Oedipus and some type of predestined path. There is a second example of a simile that shows Oedipus and his struggle with freewill and fate, “a dark shower of blood came down like hail”. This phrase is referring to his blindness when he jabbed out his eyes (line 1279). It was his fate to become blind due to his original struggles after sleeping with his mother and killing his father. The simile has likened blood to the appearance of hail which is a larger and more damaging form of rain and snow. The more important aspect of the simile is to show that fate once again caused Oedipus’s suffering. Fate is most cruel for a fellow like Oedipus who has struggled against it; he is going down the fateful path. Oedipus has been considered the one to kill Laios, though he denies it fully in the beginning. He even tries to blame the person accusing him, as well as those around him. A simile is close to a metaphor in that a comparison between two things is made; but with a metaphor two very unlike things can be used to create an impression there is a similarity between them. It can also be a descriptor like “who has eyes only for gain, but is blind in his art” (line 385). In this case eyes and gain are the two things being discussed in the quote with a further reference to blindness and art. Eyes are something we use for sight in order to see what is around us. In the metaphor the concept of gaining with our eyes means that Creon, whom the quote refers to, is only looking at the problem to see where he can reach success or find benefit for himself, rather than other people or Oedipus. The quote also refers to Creon standing against Oedipus, rather than with him. In the next part of the quote the words “blind” and “art” are used. One who has eyes to see gain is then said to be blind in the art of how to gain. In other words, Creon may be able to see that there is something to gain, but he is not able to follow through and actually gain what he seeks. Looking at Oedipus and bearing the theme in mind, another device can be found where we can plainly see Oedipus is still struggling against his fate using freewill in the hopes of gaining a better end. He has to fight against Creon, who, as it seems to Oedipus, wants to take over his status of a king. The struggles felt by Oedipus do not have to be reality for the theme to continue. Basically, Oedipus may feel that Creon is against him, which is indicated by the metaphor, but Creon does not actually have to be fighting against him. It is what has been perceived by the character that shows the struggles he has faced against fate for a better outcome. Creon eventually says, “do not wish to be master in all things: the mastery which you did attain has not followed you through life” (line 1523). Creon means that Oedipus tried to be a master of everything including his fate; but even when he may have won against one tiny thread of fate, it did not allow the ending to change. This can be construed as another metaphor because there is a hidden meaning to the obvious words of mastery not following Oedipus’s plan. It is a metaphor to say that fate cannot be beaten no matter how fiercely one can struggle with the human concept of freewill. The thread of fate cannot be beaten, no matter what struggles Oedipus has gone through. To make this clear, Sophocles used another aspect of figurative language, called imagery, to provide the reader with a conclusion. Imagery is where the writer will try to use the five senses in order to give the reader a picture. “Stormy sea of troubles” is one short example of imagery used in the story (line 1525). A stormy sea is something that we can see and it is applied as a descriptor of “troubles” meaning that the troubles faced by Oedipus were similar to a stormy sea where the waves are tossing about in different directions and the clouds overhead are dark with the threat of a storm. The imagery also provides the reader with another indication of the theme. Oedipus struggled with his fate of being Laios's killer; now he must die for that sin in order to end the suffering of his people. During his troubles he still felt there was a choice in how his life would end, yet the storm, depicted in the imagery, makes it clear that these troubles cannot be changed. It shows that freewill may exist, but fate will once again have the upper hand. Sophocles used imagery, metaphors, and similes as devices of figurative language to enhance the theme that there is a struggle of freewill against one’s own fate. Oedipus constantly struggled against the fate the gods outlined for him and perceived threats by those around him. In each example of figurative language from the text Oedipus Tyrannos it is clear that Sophocles used the literary device to show the struggles Oedipus had when he thought he could control what may happen to him. But in the end even the small steps, which he perceived as mastery, wre in fact not enough to win against the fate he had to struggle against. Fate, according to Sophocles, is an element in life that cannot be altered, no matter how hard one struggle to change it. Read More