The Struggle Of Life In Oedipus And The Book Of Genesis

The Struggle of Life
As one goes through life, hardships are inevitable, but how one faces the hardship determines the outcome of their life. In different religions, a God(s) has a huge impact on one’s life and how one conquers a hardship. In the Greek and Hebrew works, Oedipus and the Book of Genesis, both share a common theme of self-determination and free will presented through the characters Oedipus and Joseph, however, they differ in how they handle their own free will and self-determination which determines their outcomes in life. First, in the story of Joseph, Joseph receives a dream that he will one day rule over his brothers. He takes this dream and uses it in a positive light. One event that presents Joseph free will is when he
is taken into slavery, he oversees Potiphar’s household. While Joseph was overseeing the home, Potiphar’s wife attempted to seduce him. However, due to Josephs respect and free will, he deiced to make the rational decision and not have relations with him because of his morals. Joseph had the option in this situation to have an affair with the Kings wife, however Joseph’s free will prevented him from him temptations. Also, when Joseph interpreted the dreams of the two servants, and they became true the servants relayed the information to the King. Next, Joseph displayed self-determination when he interpreted the Kings dream that for the next seven years of crops thriving. After Josephs interpretation are proven true, he is promoted to oversee the collection and distribution of grain. In this event, Joseph’s self-determination allowed him to make the decision to share the dream because it could ultimately lead to a better life to himself. In the playwright Oedipus Rex, the Apollo God from the Oracle of Delphi, sent Oedipus the prophecy that “he will sleep with his mother and kill his father.” After his knowledge of his prophecy he fled to the city of Citheron.
Oedipus then solves the riddle of the Sphinx, Oedipus is enabled to marry the queen, again, not knowing it is his mother. In this event, Oedipus used his own free will to solve the riddle which allowed the freeing of the citizen of Thebes.” When the prophecy was placed upon him he told his wife Jocasta, and she told him to not worry because her older husband Laius (Oedipus’s father) had a prophecy placed on him that his son will kill him and it never came true. After hearing the information, Oedipus made his own self determination to not follow the Gods and determine his own prophecy his way. Also, he taunted the blind prophet who saw through the eyes of Apollo, Tiresias, because Tiresias informed him that the Prophecy has already came true, but Oedipus argues that it had not. In this event, Oedipus uses his own free will and judgement to not listen to the Gods. Oedipus blames Jocasta brother Creon for his encounter with the Prophecy, because Creon recommended Oedipus to Tiresias to determine the unknown murder man. Next, a Shepard comes to speak to Oedipus to try to relieve him from his Prophecy of killing his father and marrying his mother. He informed Oedipus that Polybus, whom he though was his father has died from natural causes. The shepherd
then explains to Oedipus that he once found a child with his ankles pinned together in Citheron and took him to another shepherd who took him to become King. After this information is revealed Oedipus realizes that his prophecy is coming true. The result of Oedipus using his own free will and self-determination caused Oedipus to commit hubris. Hubris, is a term known for going against the Gods. Hubris is looked down upon by the Greeks and the Gods, and is ultimately punishable. Oedipus took matters into his own hands, and being too confident in himself causing his own suffering. The Gods in this situation, did not feel sorrow for Oedipus. The Greek Gods believe that fate is inevitable and there is nothing one could do to prevent it. In these works, Joseph and Oedipus both share the theme of self-determination and free will. They share similar characteristics by making decisions for their own good without the Gods contribution. In Joseph, he is faced with hardships, however through his own free will and self-determination he overcame those events, In Oedipus he also struggles with hardships in his life such as determining if his own prophecy is true. Just as Joseph shared his knowledge in interpreting dreams, Oedipus used his knowledge to try solve the unknown murder man. In addition, Joseph was rational when making decisions about informing his family of his dreams, causing his father to favor him over his brothers, while in Oedipus he used rational self determination to when solving the Riddle of the Sphynx.