Fate vs free will in Hamlet and Oedipus Outline Introduction: Fate can be defined as “a power that determines the event in the future. In the fate the events of man are already determined.” What is freewill? “The power of acting without the constraint of necessity or fate; the ability to act at one’s own discretion.” Does mankind have the ability to choose his fate, or is mankind doomed to live a predetermined life? In the story of Oedipus, fate has determined his tragic ending. In Hamlet, hamlet…
Oedipus The King: Fate vs. Free Will From the very beginning of Oedipus, we can see that the main character of Oedipus is very sure about who he is and where he has come from. One of the most important motifs of the story is the idea of metaphorical blindness, and how Oedipus claims that everyone else around him is blind, and he is the only one that can see. While Oedipus has the power to control his decisions, he is cursed, and his life has been settled according to the oracle when he was born…
Whether “fate” or “free will” is in control of our lives has always been a highly questionable controversy—even today. Many of those with religious views believe there is a higher power that has a predestined plan for each one of us and our life is not in our own hands at all. If we knew our fate, do we have the power of free will to change our future? In the play, Oedipus, fate becomes the determining factor of Oedipus’s life and even with “free will”, there was no way to prevent…
person’s life: free will and fate. These two schools of thought have been prevalent for millennia, and have been debated by both philosophers and theologians seeking truth and knowledge. Fifth century B.C.E. Athenian playwright Sophocles, pondered these same questions, and this prompted him to write the ancient Greek tragedy, Oedipus the King. In the play, the protagonist Oedipus rules over the city-state of Thebes, which is decimated by plague. To find a remedy for this hardship, Oedipus sends his brother-in-law…
establishing whether it was fate or free will that determined the outcome of Oedipus’ life we must take in to consideration each side. Some people can say that he brought all of his suffering on himself but then again some people can say that it was his destiny that bad things were to happen to him. First we will look at fate. The definition of fate is a force or power that predetermines events or an inevitable events predestined by force. I believe that Oedipus’ fate in life was sealed for him…
common debate is whether we, as human beings, have free will or if a divine force, sometimes referred to as fate, determines our destiny. Though the two plays, Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Sophocles’s Oedipus were written in two different eras, these two ideas are common between them. Although Hamlet and Oedipus both strive to be in control of their lives, Oedipus refuses to accept his destiny and therefore unknowingly fulfills his fate. In less than 2 months of the death of Hamlet’s…
Fate Vs free will in Oedipus Rex There has been an inconclusive debate about whether man has had throughout the history of mankind a sort of free will to decide on his life and what he could do about it or has he been enslaved by some divine forces that acted upon his own destiny. That very debate seems to be applicable also to Oedipus whose actions were a mere subject of discussion as to whether they were predetermined by the Gods or were they a kind of materialization of a free and conscious will…
Free Will and Fate in Oedipus the King The Greeks believed that the universe was guided in a harmoniums purpose by cosmic order and fate. Sophocles has, in Oedipus the King, depicted the underlying relationship of man's free will existing within the cosmic order and fate. Man was free to choose and was ultimately held responsible for his own actions. Oedipus' destruction was brought about by a combination of fate and free will. He was a victim of fate for it was foretold at…
Fate can be defined as something that is destined to happen and is beyond our control. Free will, on the other hand, is being able to act freely without being constrained by a predetermined fate. In Sophocles’ tragedy, Oedipus Rex, the concepts of fate and free will are very prominent throughout the play. In ancient Greece, fate was considered to be a reality outside of an individual that determined his or her life and represented an unstoppable force. The ancient Greeks believed in fatalism, which…
but not my fate. Destiny means there are opportunities to turn right or left, but fate is a one-way street. I believe we all have the choice as to whether we fulfil our destiny, but our fate is sealed” (Fate Quotes). This shows the idea of fate vs free will. It demonstrations how ones fate is controlled by God, but one has the choice to determine how they will react to his or her own fate. In Sophocles writings of Oedipus the King and Antigone, they both show the theme of fate and free will; however…