Power of Fate vs. Free Will in Medea and Macbeth Throughout both Medea and Macbeth‚ there is a clear and heavy presence of the gods. This begs the question‚ are the characters in charge of their own destiny‚ or are their fates already written? Fate is described as “that which is inevitably predetermined; destiny.” It can be said that it is the gods who are in charge of creating the character’s fates. In both Medea and Macbeth‚ there is a common theme of placing too much trust into fate‚ rather than
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Composition August 8‚ 2011 What makes Oedipus the King of Tragedy? How did Oedipus bring about his own destruction? Or is he the victim of a greater force such as fate or the gods? How does pride affect his actions? How do you feel as you watch him fall? Fate is a theme that is often occurring in Greek plays and tragedies in particular. From the beginning of Oedipus‚ the King‚ we know that Oedipus is destined to kill his father and marry with his mother. Oedipus discovers that his past is very different
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Oedipus Paper Humans often come upon interactions in every day life causing conflict‚ which forces humans to make important decisions when put into different situations. A conflict is an interaction that can be made between two things causing good or bad scenarios. The interactions mentioned in this play are mainly causing bad situations. In this play Oedipus the King by Sophocles‚ Oedipus faces a painful truth that brings him through many different contradictions. Oedipus’ conflicts are shown
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A tragic hero is defined as a literary character that makes an error of judgment or has a total flaw‚ that combined with fate and external forces‚ brings on a tragedy. This pertains to Oedipus‚ as his brash decisions and unwillingness to accept the truth‚ along with his doomed fate‚ leads to his demise. The first thing that makes Oedipus a tragic hero is that he makes some large errors of judgment. This occurs when he decides to announce the punishment for the murderer of the late King Laius in
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and the fate is greater than deserved. The hero inspires the audience to feel pity and fear‚ pity because the hero does not deserve his fate‚ and fear because anyone could have the hero’s fate. Consequently‚ in Sophocles’s Oedipus The King‚ Aristotle’s definition of tragedy applies to Oedipus. Oedipus’s hamartia is arrogance. Fisler states‚ “Hubris is his flaw; his actions are the result of his excessive pride” (Fisler 1006). Oedipus possesses a tremendous amount of pride. When Oedipus solved the
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Wisdom is so often thought as a gift that many people overlook how it can also be a curse. Teiresias‚ a character in Oedipus Rex by Sophocles‚ is an Oracle that is miserable with the wisdom he holds. Oedipus‚ the king of Thebes‚ solves the riddle of the Sphinx to obtain the throne. Now the king is trying to find out who is responsible for the plague. However‚ Teiresias knows that Oedipus is searching for himself. Teiresias believes that his wisdom does not profit him because he is miserable; I agree
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and how the characters’ view life. None however‚ as interesting as Hamlet from the play Hamlet. The character of Hamlet is interesting because although he was born from status‚ he does not have all the power. Hamlet is also well aware of his flaws and his flaws are not that obvious to the audience. The most engaging scenes are the ones where Hamlet is alone speaking truths about his thoughts on suicide and humanity itself. Although Hamlet and his thoughts might seem like the thoughts of sad teenager
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the Oedipus Rex." Twentieth Century Interpretations of Oedipus Rex: A Collection of Critical Essays. Ed. Michael J. O ’Brien. Englewood Cliffs‚ NJ: Prentice‚ 1968. 17-29. Print. Driver‚ Tom F. "The Uses of Time: The Oedipus Tyrannus and Macbeth." Exploring Shakespeare. Online ed. Detroit: Gale‚ 2003. Student Resource Center - Bronze. Gale. Web. 16 Sept. 2008 . Foster‚ Thomas C. How to Read Literature Like a Professor. New York: Quill‚ 2003. Print. Grant‚ Michael. "Oedipus." Discovering
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Truth When Oedipus and Jocasta begin to get close to the truth about Laius’s murder‚ in Oedipus the King‚ Oedipus fastens onto a detail in the hope of exonerating himself. Jocasta says that she was told that Laius was killed by “strangers‚” whereas Oedipus knows that he acted alone when he killed a man in similar circumstances. This is an extraordinary moment because it calls into question the entire truth-seeking process Oedipus believes himself to be undertaking. Both Oedipus and Jocasta act
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OEDIPUS REX In the tragedy Oedipus Rex‚ Oedipus commits several immoral acts. Typically‚ society views these as evil and unjust. However‚ although Oedipus commits several licentious deeds‚ Sophocles makes the reader sympathize because Oedipus is oblivious to the incriminating facts. Throughout the play Oedipus Rex commits numerous crimes the society see as immorally wrong. Oedipus believes that if he leaves Corinth he will be able to avoid his fate. The oracle says the Oedipus will kill
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