Chandler Weisz Ms. Golden Oct 7, 2014 In Oedipus Rex, Sophocles asks a question that is still asked today: is it free will or fate that controls ones destiny. Both freewill and fate are themes in the tragedy, but themes to which one caused the horrible doings of Oedipus. Oedipus fate lies in the hands of the gods, but on the other hand he still has some freewill. It was Oedipus’s fate to kill his father through marry, his mother but it is his actions through free will that he does in Thebes. Sophocles uses Oedipus to show fate and freewill together; determine what to convey the idea that either way, life will play out through ones Fate or free will and or maybe both, and lead one to what life has in-store for him or her.
Hamlet himself says, "That I essentially am not in madness, but mad in craft." He thought about everything he was doing, and everything he was going to do. Hamlet did in fact act like he was mad, just so he could follow through on his plan to avenge his father's death. Hamlet acted like he was mad because he did not want to outright kill Claudius, because he would probably go to heaven, and Hamlet wanted to make him suffer like Claudius had made his father suffer. Hamlet also knew that he could not go around telling people that Claudius killed his father just because a ghost told him so.
Prince Hamlet seems keen to avenge his father’s death, but throughout the narrative we see Hamlet hesitate to kill Claudius, he may be finding it hard as Claudius is the King and also a relative. The Ghost says he’s going to suffer in Purgatory until Prince Hamlet avenges his death by killing Claudius, as the way he died he didn’t have a chance to confess his sins, so he would go to heaven. “Doomed for a certain
The first example is that Oedipus’ anger helps show how ignorant Oedipus is and how he even makes false accusations towards others. Oedipus sent Creon to find the city’s seer, Tiresias, and Oedipus then asked Tiresias who killed the previous king. Tiresias would not give Oedipus a valid answer and Oedipus grew angry. “Indeed, since I am so angry, I’ll pass over none/ of what I understand. Know that I think/ you, too, had your hand in this deed and did it,/ even though you did not kill with your own hands./ But if you could see, I would think the deed yours alone” (l. 364-368).
He states, “A son of sin and sorrows.” This shows that he knows the mistakes he have committed during his life and reign as king. His decision-making resulted in him losing his family and doing wrong in Apollo’s design. He also states, “ A prince of evil.” This means that the moment he took throne he was brought down from a fatal flaw, his flaw was hubris, he thought that he could get away from fate and in the Greek and Roman tragedies and in their life they believed strongly in fate. He also utilizes empathy to make others feel what he feels. He states, “For whom I should be hanged.” This shows that e is unhappy of the truth and how sick it makes him feel.
Oedipus Oedipus Rex is a Greek tragedy written by Sophocles about a man who tries to escape a prophecy of his life from coming true but in turn, ends up fulfilling it instead. Oedipus, the protagonist of the story, is destined by the prophecy to kill his father, Lauis and then marry his mother, Jocasta. Oedipus though, shortly discovers that all this time he had been in denial and subsequently to his own demise. With this, Sophocles, knowing that his audience already knows the outcome of the play, uses this knowledge to create situations that involve a number of verbal, dramatic, and situational irony that keeps the audience on the edge and also develop the characters in the play. This play sends a strong message of fate and free will to the audience.
Laertes did not even know with certainty that Claudius killed his father, seen by how he asks, “Where is my father?’’ instead of immediately accusing the king of the deed (IV,v,128). Still, that did not stop him from gathering followers, declaring that he should be king, and breaking down the castle doors, without even knowing all the facts. Clearly, he did not follow his father’s advice of avoiding “entrance to a quarrel.” However, he kept to the second part of the advice, of making sure to win the conflict once he had already begun. Unlike Hamlet, he thinks of a plan to kill his enemy with a poisoned blade (IV,vii), and actually follows
However when he hears of Juliet’s “death” Romeo tries to “defy the stars” and kills himself (5.1.25). Romeo is taking responsibility for his actions by trying to defy his “fate” and finally taking thing into his own hands. This doesn’t work, since he didn’t bother to check if Juliet was still alive and just kills himself in his attempt to be together with her, even if it’s in death. Romeo uses fate to justify his actions and say that a power outside of his control fueled his action, but instead everything was just his impulsive choices. Friar Lawrence’s reckless actions brought together the deaths, and he blames them on fate.
Both fate and free will play a key role in the eventual destruction of Oedipus; although Oedipus ends up being a victim to his fate, he was not necessarily controlled by it. It was said by the oracle of Apollo at Delphi that Oedipus was destined to kill his father, and marry his mother. Although Oedipus does everything in his free will to make this prophecy fail, fate wins in the end. His past actions were determined by fate, but the things that he did in Thebes were out of his own free will. This means that Oedipus, through his free willing search for truth, came to his demise in fulfilling the prophecy he was trying to avoid.
“Anguish and despair had penetrated into the core of my heart; I bore a hell within me, which nothing could extinguish.” (Shelley 75) However, Victor cannot explain the truth because he is afraid people will think he is crazy. He is convicted knowing that the monster caused the death of his own family member and the execution of Justine. Shelley conveys that the scientific attitudes of Victor creating the monster made Victor feel