Jillian Smith anderson IB English Period 2
4 November 2012
The Use of Chance in Chronicle of a Death Foretold versus Oedipus the King Chance can serve many different purposes in works of literature. Whether it is to display a certain idea or to simply add to the author's writing style, chance can have a very significant effect on a reader or an audience. In Oedipus the King by Sophocles and Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, both writers use chance to develop their plots. The chance events are what further the plot and eventually lead to the main characters’ downfall. Chance, however, also has different purposes in the works, as Marquez uses it as an element of his magical realist style of writing, while Sophocles uses it to portray Oedipus’s unavoidable fate. The multiple events involving chance seen throughout Oedipus the King lead towards the idea of one’s inevitable fate and the futility of trying to go against it. While Oedipus was fleeing Corinth and trying to escape the prophecy that said he would kill his father and marry his mother, he “came near to [a] triple crossroad and there [Oedipus] was met by a herald and a man riding on a horse-drawn wagon […] the old man himself tried to push [Oedipus] off the road,” (Sophocles 57) and in return Oedipus “killed the whole lot of them” (Sophocles 57). While trying defy his fate Oedipus was unaware that he was actually fulfilling the prophecy, by killing his father. It was completely by chance that Oedipus would happen to meet his father at that exact moment, and that they would have a conflict. Chance is also present regarding Jocasta’s fate. She committed hubris, attempting to go against the gods, by refuting the prophecy and sending her newborn child with a shepherd to die on the mountainside. While the Corinthian messenger was “watching over [his] flocks on the mountainside […] [he] found [Oedipus] in the shady valleys of Mount Cithaeron” (Sophocles 73). The imagery of “shady valleys” plays a significant role in determining the extent to which it was chance that the shepherd found Oedipus. “Shady” implies that there was limited visibility, and “valleys” implies it was hilly, further showing how it was by chance that the shepherd was able to see and save him. Both events together further the plot, as they both lead Oedipus to fulfilling the prophecy. Multiple coincidental events are seen throughout Chronicle of a Death Foretold as well. The unexplainable chain of chance events leading up to Santiago’s death shocked the townspeople. Cristo Bedoya could not understand why he “gave in to the impulse to spend two hours at his grandparents’ house until the bishop came instead of going to rest at his parents’, who had been waiting there to warn him” (Marquez 233). Cristo could have known about the murder and stopped it not for the impulse he had to stay at his grandparents’. It was by chance that he had the initiative to evade his parents’ house, as they would have informed him of the Vicario brothers’ intentions. Placida Linero also experienced chance when a paper that foretold the murder was dropped on the floor and she "saw the paper on the floor, but she didn't think to pick it up, and she only found out what it said […] later” (Marquez 247). By chance Placida Linero happened to not pick up the paper. Like Cristo Bedoya, would have told Santiago about the murder, and also like Cristo, she could have known about it early enough to do so. The chance events that served to facilitate Santiago's murder only happened to the people who would have warned Santiago, adding to the peculiarity of the story and the magical realist style. The chance events in both Chronicle of a Death Foretold and Oedipus the King serve to further the plot. In Oedipus the King, Oedipus's meeting and murder of his father fulfills one half of the prophecy. This event was necessary because causes Oedipus to be able to marry his mother, who will have lost her husband. The play is based on causation, and the chance events are oftentimes what cause the next event, which is why they are so vital to the plot. The shepherd's discovery of Oedipus on the mountain side was by chance, yet it allowed Oedipus to survive and live out the prophecy he was given. Chronicle of a Death Foretold incorporates coincidence in the same way to develop the storyline. In the first chapter, the reader learns who killed Santiago. While the plot is already shown to reader, the inclusion of the events with Placida Linero and Cristo Bedoya helps to develop the plot, as the reader learns more about the odd circumstances that worked against Santiago to result in his death. The fact that both of them could have known about the murder early enough to stop it, yet learn about it later helps to develop the plot. Chance events in both Oedipus the King and Chronicle of a Death Foretold serve to advance the storyline. The purpose that chance serves within both works differs as well. In Oedipus the King, Sophocles uses chance events to portray the idea of fate and that attempts to go against one's fate are futile. This is clearly depicted through the constant chain of chance events that occur throughout the play. By creating highly unlikely events, Sophocles portrays Oedipus and Jocasta's error in attempting to deny their inevitable fate. Sophocles is effective in displaying their inevitable fate; the audience witnesses multiple chance events and can infer from them the purpose of their inclusion. In Chronicle of a Death Foretold, however, the chance events add to Marquez's magical realist writing style. Marquez is considered a magical realist author, while Sophocles is not. Because of this, the peculiar chance events that lead to Santiago's death are seen as elements of magical realism. The effect on the reader differs as well, as events of chance in Chronicle of a Death Foretold prompt the reader to question the significance of the events and understand the role magical realism plays in Latin American literature. While both authors include many chance events, their purposes vary, resulting in differing effects on the reader or audience. Both Sophocles and Marquez have similarities between their works and chance is a common theme that can be traced throughout them. While Sophocles uses it to portray the futility of committing hubris, Marquez uses it rather as a style, characteristic of magical realism. Both Marquez and Sophocles, however, are effective in using chance develop the plot and to also portray the main characters as victims of chance, as it is what leads to their downfall. Through the events that take place, they are able to create their desired effect on the reader.
Word count: 1,131

Works Cited
Sophocles, Bernard M.W. Knox. Oedipus the King. New York: Pocket Books, 1972. Print.
García, Márquez Gabriel. Chronicle of a Death Foretold. New York: Knopf, 1983. Print