Assess the relative roles of fate, chance and human responsibility in bringing about the outcomes of La Machine Infernale.

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Assess the relative roles of fate, chance and human responsibility in bringing about the outcomes of La Machine Infernale.

Œdipus, the original play, was written with the intention of demonstrating how it is possible for the human race to fall. Around the time that Sophocles was writing, the power of the Gods was being doubted, and instead people were starting to believe they possessed free will, and were in control of their destinies. As in Œdipus, La Machine Infernale manifests that fate will eventually conquer those who attempt to escape from it. Fate, chance and human responsibility are all contributors to the outcomes of La Machine Infernale, however, it was the fate decided by the Gods and prophesised to Jocaste that began the process that would lead to their tragic end.

In this essay, I will answer the question by focusing on the three events in the play whilst assessing their roles in the occurring and outcomes of these situations.

The first event which is central to the story is the meeting of Laius and Œdipus. Cocteau writes how Œdipus was already heading towards his fate, “La crainte...le jette vers son destin”. Fate, in this instance, is the factor that drove Œdipus literally towards the crossroads. Had his fate not been conveyed to him by Delphes, he would not have met Laius. Because of his fate, Œdipus was always going to meet and murder his father somehow, but it was by chance that Œdipus met him in this anonymous manner. Fate is responsible for the outcome, that is the death of Laius, “Il tuera son père”. This was an inevitable situation, yet chance decided where, when and how. Furthermore, chance is accountable for the prolongation of Jocaste’s and Œdipus ignorance about their blood connection; it seemed at the time that this was a chance meeting, therefore, Œdipus didn’t dwell on the death of this man, “il a vite oublié cet accident”. Had it been a more dramatic and blatant incident, he might well have thought more about it, and connected it with the prophecy much sooner than he did. This accident, though it occurs at the beginning of the play, is directly connected to the tragic ending, and the overall outcome of the story.

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Human responsibility plays a large role here also, as it is ultimately Œdipus’ personality that makes him run away from his parents and all the decisions that he makes thereafter. Œdipus would have been aware that a person’s fate cannot be escaped, yet like Jocaste, who in leaving him on the hillside was desperately trying to avoid that which had been prophesised, he thought he could outwit the Gods – arguably a blatant demonstration of arrogance on his part. Though perhaps Œdipus personality is the result of his surroundings and upbringing, ultimately, he decided to leave and it was his ...

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