Oedipus Rex And The Book Of Job Bot

For centuries, philosophers have devoted their lives to discovering some deeper purpose for existence. Unable to accept the traditional view that humans have a purpose before they exist, existentialists operate under the notion that “existence precedes essence” (Banach), implying that any meaning that life has must be written by the individual, without any outside influences. Many great works have been written with this idea either glaringly present, or as an underlying theme. Oedipus Rex by Sophocles is known as the essential example of tragedy; it contains all of Aristotle’s tragic elements, such as a plot reversal followed by recognition and an inevitable conclusion, the fall of an inherently good character, a tragic flaw, and language embellished with artistic ornament (Aristotle). Job doesn’t follow the classic mold for tragedy exactly, but still contains many of those same elements. Upon closer examination, Job’s turmoil can be contributed to an existential crisis in which he has to decide where his purpose is found. Though the story of Oedipus Rex and The Book of Job
The existentialist point of view states that “what we will be and what will be good for us is a radically individual matter” (Banach). This is certainly seen in Oedipus’s main theme, because both agree that no answers can be found outside one’s self. Oedipus experiences life living for an outside purpose, his quest to prove the prophecy wrong, but ultimately discovers that what he had been living for is all for nothing. He creates his own fate by making decisions like killing the old man at the crossroads and marrying someone older than him without knowing her background. These things satisfy Aristotle’s need for an evil deed to be committed against a family member