FATE Fate. Fate is what controls our lives...or so some people think. Now what is the actual definition of Fate? The supposed force, principle, or power that predetermines events; the inevitable events predestined by this force. Now look at the word supposed. We don't even know if Fate exsists. If it does, why does it have to be predestined or predetermined? PRE is a prefix that means before. Now Fate happens based on something before? I thought it happened then and there not before. Some people
Observation and Interpretation: Throughout the text, fate and the gods are blamed for the cause of the problems, however subsequent choices made later on by the characters appear to be free will, however are actually influenced by fate and the gods. So what?: This makes the audience blame the gods for the overall out come, but still blame the main character for her choices. Quotes: P48 l. 1014-1015 “The gods/ And my evil-hearted plots have led to this.” P39 l. 717 “What good luck
Fate and Destiny In the beginning a man and a woman were born. They married each other and lived a life that was filled with much happiness and joy. One day a terrible car accident occurred that killed them both. In this world we live in we face everyday choices. Maybe these people did not choose to die, but they maybe chose to drive in the car that day. Was what happened to them an accident or a bad twist of fate that was their destiny? Were these two wonderful people predestined to die at that
choice. It is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved,” quoted by William Jennings Bryan. One of the most debated questions in history is whether our lives are ruled by fate or by own choice. William Shakespeare brings this question into play in his production Romeo and Juliet. Although fate does seam to be ruling over every situation, I believe that choice has more to do with this story then it’s really credited to. Even in the opening lines, this play drills into your head the
The Fate of Prometheus “Ah me, alas, pain, pain ever, forever! / No change, no pause, no hope! – Yet I endure” (I, 23-24) – such are the words of Prometheus, when in desperation and overwhelmed by emotion, his thoughts dissolve in sheer agony and turn to himself, away from the Mighty God whose “ill tyranny” has nailed him to the “eagle-baffling mountain” (I, 19-20). In his essay, Prometheus: The Romantic Revolutionary, Northrop Frye observes that “pain is the condition which keeps Prometheus conscious”
Fate may state what will be in one's life however, how that destiny comes about is a matter of man's own choice. In other words, incidents don't occur because our destinies are written. In the play Macbeth, Shakespeare expertly uses the theme of fate vs. free will and raises the pre-eminent question of which holds power over the characters. In Shakespeare’s tragedy, fate is not the cause of his downfall, his own desires and choices prove to be the deciding factor. There are several examples of fate
Slips of Fate In the short story 'The Lottery'; by Shirley Jackson, the author uses irony to expand on a theme of traditions that continue although they are ludicrous and barbaric. 'Like a lamb to slaughter'; comes to mind for both the characters in this story and the reader. The characters are honoring a tradition that is handed down to them from former generations. The reader is led through the seemingly normal and quaint little village, and is taken on a ride of ironic horror as they slowly grasp
of when they first meet, the fight between Tybalt and Mercutio, and the final death scene all reveal why the two of them cannot be together in the end. Romeo and Juliet are ultimately killed because of their decisions and fate. The effects of Romeo and Juliet’s decisions and fate are first apparent in the scene when they first come together. When Romeo says to Juliet in the Capulet party, "Thus from my lips, by thine my sin is purged" (I,v,108), and then he kisses her, it obviously exhibitions how
The reader finds in William Shakespeare's Macbeth that fate is not a force which one can resist easily on one's own - especially if one is already inclined to ambition. In Fools of Time: Studies in Shakespearean Tragedy, Northrop Frye stresses the connection between the witches and fate: The successful ruler is a combination of nature and fortune, de jure and de facto power. He steers his course by the tiller of an immediate past and by the stars of an immediate future. [. . .] It is this synchronizing
Iliad and the Fate Of Patroclus Throughout The Iliad Of Homer, the constant theme of death is inherently apparent. Each main character, either by a spear or merely a scratch from an arrow, was wounded or killed during the progression of the story. For Zeus' son, Sarpedon, it was a spear through the heart, and for Hector, it was the bronze of the mighty Achilles through his neck which caused his early demise. It seems that no one could escape an agonizing fate. Of these deaths
Fate Playing a Role The Way Fate Plays a Role in the Characters of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and Macbeth There are many definitions for the word fate. The definition of the word fate in the New Webster’s Dictionary is a power that supposedly predetermines events. Also fate means something that is unavoidable. It is meant to happen and cannot be changed. According to Shalvia, the tragic story of Romeo and Juliet has a sense of cruel fate in it. (510). In Shakespeare's Macbeth and Romeo
Fate in Beowulf A Twist of Fate for the Great Hero Beowulf Fate seems to be an ongoing theme in the works of Boethius and Beowulf. Whether it is a belief of Christian providence or pagan fatalism, the writers of these works are strongly moved by the concept of fate and how it affects the twists and turns of a person’s life. Fate is most often seen as the course of events in a person’s life that leads them to inevitable death at some time or another. Throughout the poem Beowulf, the characters
Fate can be defined many different ways. Webster's Dictionary defines fate as a power that supposedly predetermines events. Fate is synonymous to the word destiny, which suggests that events are unavoidable and unchangeable. Whatever happens in life is meant to be and cannot be changed by mankind. In Shakespeare's Macbeth, fate plays an important role in the lives of Macbeth, Lady Macbeth and Banquo. "All hail, Macbeth Hail to thee, thane of Glamis! All hail, Macbeth Hail to thee, thane of Cawdor
Predestined Fate of Oedipus In ancient Greek society they believed that ones life is predestined and that ones fate is sealed. What is meant to occur will happen no matter what that person does. In "Oedipus Rex" Oedipus' fate is doomed from his birth because of the actions of his ancestors. Unlike Oedipus most people today don't believe in predestined fate. People can be all they want to be regardless of their background or the circumstances of their lives. However some people don't realize that
The human condition follows the path of fate. Everyone makes choices out of their own free will which affects their life at that time, but will ultimately lead to their pre- determined fate. People inflict their own wounds during their life by the choices that they make. This applies in Romeo and Juliet and plays a major role in Romeo and Juliet’s lives. "A pair of star-crossed lovers" (I, i, 6) In the very opening of the play the chorus is singing about Romeo and Juliet, and predicts
Oedipus the King: Free Will or Fate? A common debate that still rages today is whether we as a species have free will or if some divine source, some call it fate, controls our destiny. The same debate applies to Oedipus the King and Oedipus at Colonus. Does Oedipus control his actions, or are they predetermined by the gods? It’s that question that makes Oedipus a classic, and many different people think many different things. With all the oracles and talk of prophecies, its obvious that there
The Open Boat, by Steven Crane, demonstrates fate vs. free will. In this story the characters are subject to contemplating how their fate is being determined, however free will cannot be dismissed as a contributor to their situation. The fine line between fate and free will, if it exists, is hard to define. There are many philosophical and religious debates between the concepts of free will and fate. Free will is based on a belief that our future is based on the decisions that we make today. Looking
His Fate Oedipus The King, by Sophocles, is a play about how Oedipus lives up his fate that he will kill his father and marry his mother, both of which are extremely bad in the Greek society, even though he thinks he is getting away from it. Despite the Greek notions of supreme power of the gods and fate, Oedipus' downfall is primarily the result of King Laius' and his own actions and attempts to defy the gods, consequently Sophocles says that prophecies from the gods of someone's fate should
Oedipus Rex, Fate, and the Modern World In the two thousand since “Oedipus Rex” was written, it has been analyzed and dissected innumerable times and in every possible way. Usually the analysis has been within the context of the play itself or within the context of other Greek tragedies. Perhaps it would be more relevant and interesting to evaluate the play within the context of the modern world. In his play Sophocles brings up many questions which are not easily answered. Does man ha
Lady Macbeth as a Tool of Fate The play of Macbeth is all about power and greed. It is about ambition overriding inhibitions and the conscience of a good man. We know that most people consider Macbeth to be a good and a brave man at the start of the book, for example King Duncan himself refers to him as “O valiant cousin, worthy gentleman!” He is admired for his skills in battle by everyone. It is hard to say what driving force underlies the events of the story, and it is equally hard to know