From the beginning of civilization, humans have pondered profusely about if one’s life is determined by their fate, that which is inevitably predetermined; destiny or derived through personal decisions. How each era viewed these topics can be determined through popular literature of that time. This essay will analyze and compare two pieces of literature of vastly different time periods to understand what the author wants the readers to take away; the lesson learned. Being from two different time periods, have vastly different messages about fate and free will. In Sophocles’ version of Oedipus, it is heavily suggested that fate is the sole influence and causes one's downfall in life. Hosseini, in his book A Thousand Splendid Suns use the theme …show more content…
Hosseini uses first person narrative to express the idea that personal choice is what the only influence in one’s up lift in life. This message can be seen identified when analyzing the action and results of the two girls. Hosseini made the reader take pity on Mariam for most of the book. She is made fun of by her mother, neglected by her father and beaten by her husband. Her uprising really only started when she begins to bond with Laila and her daughter. For the first time in her life, Mariam really starts to really care about someone who returns her love. Through the hardships that she has to face, she faces it together with Laila. Even her attitudes towards her husband changes. Before she was submissive and quiet but now she stands up to him and goes against his orders more than she ever did, even daring to run away from her abuser. “Mariam had entered this world a harami, a weed, but she is leaving it a woman who had loved and been loved back. “This is a legitimate end to a life of illegitimate beginnings.””(pg.326) this quote best represents her growth. But how does fate and free will play into this growth? Personal choice plays a huge part in her growth her choice to befriend Laila and to kill her husband are examples of when her choices directly lead to being loved and remembered by those around
From start to finish, one could see how much Mariam values Laila, Aziza, and their friendship. The first example is when Mariam vows to help Laila while they are in the hospital for Laila’s unborn child: “I’ll get you seen, Laila jo. I promise” (287). This simple promise is a deep portrayal of Mariam’s desire to help Laila find a doctor and deliver her baby. Additionally, one can see Mariam’s love for Laila when she protects her from Rasheed’s grip of death, “‘Rasheed.’ He looked up. Mariam swung. She hit him across the temple. The blow knocked him off Laila” (348). Rasheed was going to kill Laila, but Mariam steps in and knocks him off of her with a shovel to save her life. Mariam forms a tight-knit bond with Laila, and when Hosseini includes their relationship, one can see how Mariam values Laila enough to kill another man. The author also describes their relationship after Mariam and Laila discuss plans for leaving: “When they do, they’ll find you as guilty as me. Tariq too. I won’t have the two of you living on the run like fugitives.” … “Laila crawled to her and again put her head on Mariam’s lap. She remembered all the afternoons they’d spent together, braiding each other’s hair, Mariam listening patiently to her random thoughts and ordinary stories with an air of gratitude, with the expression of a person to whom a unique and coveted privilege had been extended” (358). The love Mariam has for
was indeed his own, true father, Laius, that he has killed at the crossroads at
Oedipus the King, a tale of one man’s hubris, paranoia, and willingness to sacrifice his own happiness for the happiness of others. Does one man’s fate designate who he will become? Is it possible to change the fate we are given? Or no matter how hard we try, deep down, it is our qualities that force us to make our fates a reality? In Sophocles’s play Oedipus the King we see a man who tried his hardest to change his own fate at all cost, but because of his human qualities he actually forced his fate upon himself.
On the other hand, Oedipus the King illustrates the young king’s blind and unintentional secession to his circumstances. Sophocles depicts the eternal endeavor to challenge the predetermined with little knowledge of the future. Thus, Candide offers a solution to the conflict between free will and fate, as Voltaire suggests that one’s circumstances are fixed, but free will enables the individual to try to better the predetermined. Moreover, one can only challenge an environment when equipped with the proper mindset, subsequently transforming these circumstances into destiny. Thus, these various works reveal several
In Sophocles ' Oedipus the King, the themes of fate and free will are very strong throughout the play. Only one, however, brought about Oedipus ' downfall and death. Both points could be argued to great effect. In ancient Greece, fate was considered to be a rudimentary part of daily life. Every aspect of life depended and was based upon fate (Nagle 100). It is common belief to assume that mankind does indeed have free will and each individual can decide the outcome of his or her life. Fate and free will both decide the fate of Oedipus the King.
Even though "fate" seems to determine Oedipus' life, he does, in fact, have a free will.
Fate is an old debated concept. Do one's actions truly play a role in determining one's life? Is fate freedom to some or is it binding to others, in that no individual can make completely individual decisions, and therefore, no one is truly free. Nowadays, fate is a subject often rejected in society, as it is seen as too big, too idealistic, and too hard to wrap a persons head around. However, at the time of Antigone, the concept was a terrifying reality for most people. Fate is the will of the gods, and as is apparent in Antigone, the gods' will is not to be questioned. Much of Sophocles' work focuses on the struggle between human law and what is believed to be the god’s law. Fate was an unstoppable force and it was assumed that any efforts to change one's future were unrealistic. In Sophocles' Antigone, fate plays a crucial role the choices that the characters make.
The purpose of this essay is to demonstrate that the events in Oedipus the King, written by Sophocles, are the result of the hero’s self determination and restless attempt to escape a terrifying destiny predicted for him by the oracle of Apollo at Delphi. My intention is to prove that although the Fates play a crucial part in the story, it is Oedipus'choices and wrong doing that ultimately lead to his downfall.
The Greek tragedy Oedipus the King, by Sophocles, was written to show the common people of Greece how powerful the gods are and that your fate is pre-determined and nothing you do can change that. He does this by showing how people in this story try to escape their fate and how it is no use because in the end, what the oracles predict comes true. In the story there are many occasions in which people try to escape their 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.
The Iliad portrays fate and destiny as supreme and ultimate forces. The Iliad presents the question of who or what is finally responsible for a man's destiny, yet the answers to this question are not quite clear. In many instances, it seems that man has no control over his fate and destiny, but at other points, it seems as if a man's fate lies in the consequences of his actions and decisions. Therefore, The Iliad reveals a man sometimes controls his destiny.
In both of these tragic plays, “Macbeth” by Shakespeare and “Oedipus the King” by Sophocles, a catastrophic fate transforms the lives of the protagonists and ultimately becomes a sad reality for both of them whether they flee from it or pursue it. In this way, the authors present fate and destiny as the unavoidable reality every human will have to face, and whether it is a simple statement made by strangers or satirical act of unmerciful gods, it shows life is not in our hands but rests in the power of outside forces.
In today's society we let our lives be led by a certain force that we believe in very strongly. Yet, 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. In the play, Oedipus the King, that special force is also used and is known and defined as fate. This played an important role in the lives of the characters just as it plays one in our daily lives.
In Oedipus The King, Sophocles presents a view of life fixed by fate. This fate, predetermined by the gods, is the sole factor in deciding human destiny. Tiresias expresses his understanding of the unchangeable fate of Oedipus, laid out by the gods, as he argues with the King about revealing the truth of all the Theban troubles. When Oedipus, frustrated by the lack of cooperation, insults Tiresias, he responds "I pity you, flinging at me the very insults / each man here will fling at you so soon."(322) Even more telling of the fated existence of Sophocles' characters is Jocasta's revelation of prophecies given before Oedipus' birth which foretold all that the gods had in store, which had indeed come to pass (332).
I would have to say that fate ended up being responsible for the tragedy of Oedipus in the play Oedipus Rex. I think fate played a huge role in the tragedy of Oedipus. Oedipus says, “As for the criminal, I pray to God-whether it be a lurking thief, or one of a number-I pray that that man’s life be consumed in evil and wretchedness. And as for me, this curse applies no less if it should turn out that the culprit is my guest here, sharing my hearth”(48). The fate in this is that Oedipus is wishing evil and wretchedness on the person who killed King Laios.