As time passes, human philosophy evolves in correspondence to the change in times. The epitome of this is Classical Greece, where the belief in fate destined by gods decreased and belief in an individual 's free will increased. Homer 's The Iliad and Sophocles ' Oedipus Rex draw attention to the shift in mindset of the ancient Greeks as time went on. The fundamental change in belief comes to light when comparing introductions of the Iliad and Oedipus Rex, characters ' thoughts, actions, and practices of the times.
The disparity between The Iliad and Oedipus Rex is glaringly obvious, it 's the first thing the reader is hit with when he reads both pieces. The Iliad 's first words are:
Rage—Goddess, sing the rage of Peleus ' son Achilles, …show more content…
Gods are constantly seen and are directly involved with humans in The Iliad. It didn 't matter if it was during war to give strength and powers, to converse with their children, or even start the war in the first place. The deities are not exclusive with who they speak with, they communicate with kings, soldiers, priests, and normal mortals. Since the gods are constantly speaking with the people in The Iliad, it was impossible to deny the power they had over an individual 's fate. During the time of Oedipus Rex, Oedipus, man known to all, can 't even directly communicate with the gods. Instead, Oedipus has to rely on a prophet, first the Oracle of Delphi and then Tiresias. The removal of the direct connection to the gods, created the change in people 's views. The people now have to rely on prophets, and by removing the direct interactions of the gods, it became easier for the characters of Oedipus Rex to disassociate the power of fate from the gods, and believe in the power of free will instead. People put their fates into the hands of human beings, since they 're already hearing of their fate from human beings, they immediately associate their fate with people. When the characters connect people and fate, it develops into them thinking that they are equal to the prophets, and can then create their own fate through their choices. The change of belief of the Greeks between the work is because it is easier for the characters to deny the power of someone who appears equal to you than one of supremacy.The denial of the supreme power of the gods is seen when Oedipus ignores what Tiresias says about him. He believes he can ignore what the gods say, because he doesn 't like what Tiresias says. In The Iliad, no one would have ignored what he had to say because the people so strongly believe in fate from the gods and knew no one would joke about it. In
The disparity between The Iliad and Oedipus Rex is glaringly obvious, it 's the first thing the reader is hit with when he reads both pieces. The Iliad 's first words are:
Rage—Goddess, sing the rage of Peleus ' son Achilles, …show more content…
Gods are constantly seen and are directly involved with humans in The Iliad. It didn 't matter if it was during war to give strength and powers, to converse with their children, or even start the war in the first place. The deities are not exclusive with who they speak with, they communicate with kings, soldiers, priests, and normal mortals. Since the gods are constantly speaking with the people in The Iliad, it was impossible to deny the power they had over an individual 's fate. During the time of Oedipus Rex, Oedipus, man known to all, can 't even directly communicate with the gods. Instead, Oedipus has to rely on a prophet, first the Oracle of Delphi and then Tiresias. The removal of the direct connection to the gods, created the change in people 's views. The people now have to rely on prophets, and by removing the direct interactions of the gods, it became easier for the characters of Oedipus Rex to disassociate the power of fate from the gods, and believe in the power of free will instead. People put their fates into the hands of human beings, since they 're already hearing of their fate from human beings, they immediately associate their fate with people. When the characters connect people and fate, it develops into them thinking that they are equal to the prophets, and can then create their own fate through their choices. The change of belief of the Greeks between the work is because it is easier for the characters to deny the power of someone who appears equal to you than one of supremacy.The denial of the supreme power of the gods is seen when Oedipus ignores what Tiresias says about him. He believes he can ignore what the gods say, because he doesn 't like what Tiresias says. In The Iliad, no one would have ignored what he had to say because the people so strongly believe in fate from the gods and knew no one would joke about it. In