A Comparative Tragedy Study of Fatalism and Determinism: Oedipus Rex and Thunderstorm

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A Comparative Tragedy Study of Fatalism and Determinism: Oedipus Rex and Thunderstorm Thunderstorm and Oedipus Rex, the representatives of Chinese and Greek play, both tell tragic stories about incest and unexpected destiny. The two masterpieces reveal much about the literature patterns and philosophical implications of the different cultures. The exploration of the two plays could help further understand the oneness of world literature and the tragedy of unlike culture. This paper will compare two famous tragic dramas—Oedipus Rex and Thunderstorm to analyze the similarities and differences in terms of the tragic themes—fatalism and determinism. 1. Background Study and Literature Review One of the most important studies of tragedy is Aristotle’s Poetics. Aristotle states that “A tragedy, then, is an artistic imitation of an action that is serious, complete in itself, and of an adequate magnitude.” (2) The magnificence of tragedy can be revealed in different aspects, and the tragic theme that considers fatalism and determinism of protagonists is one of the most important elements. Fatalism is one of the most eternal themes of tragedy in general. It is the belief that all events are predetermined and therefore inevitable in person’s life. Determinism is the belief that all actions and events result from other actions, events, or situations, so people cannot in fact choose what to do (Dodds 42). Homeric heroes have their predetermined “portion of life”, but it never occurs to the poet or his audience that this prevents them from being free agents. As Bernard Knox put it, “the gods know the future, but they do not order it. (122)” Concerning fatalism and determinism, previous scholars have done many researches on the two plays. Martin Kallich (1966), in “Oedipus: From Man to Archetype,” interprets the philosophical theme of Sophocles' play as a mild
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