The ancient Greek people believed in many deities and believed that these gods could see into the future. They believed that only specific people called “seers,” had access to this information. Oracles could also interpret these messages from the gods. Oracles were a common part of Greek life, being consulted by kings and commonfolk for their knowledge (LitCharts). Knowing their fate can sometimes blind people and cause them to try to avoid the fate. In the cause of Oedipus, Antigone’s father, his father learned that Oedipus was to kill him and marry his wife, Oedipus’ own mother, so he tried to avoid that fate by banishing Oedipus. He unknowingly put into play the events that led up to Oedipus killing him and marrying his wife. When Oedipus found out, he gouged out his eyes and prophesied that his own sons would kill each other in battle. This event ultimately comes to pass (Oedipus Rex). Sophocles’ stories generally revolve around the influence of fate and free will in ancient Greek life. Whether his characters try to outsmart or avoid fate such as Oedipus or simply accept their fate with open arms such as Antigone. Fate is defined as “the will or principle or determining cause by which things in general are believed to come to be as they are or events to happen as they do (Merriam Webster Dictionary).” Free will …show more content…
The free will of Oedipus’ father, King Laius, to banish his son from his kingdom led to Oedipus killing him and marrying his own mother, allowing fate to play out. In Antigone, the deaths of many characters were due to their own choices. Haemon, son of Creon, makes the conscious decision to commit suicide in order to be with his loved one. Eurydice, wife of Creon, makes the decision to commit suicide when she hears her son has killed himself. Creon unknowingly put these events into play when he made the individual decision to outlaw the burial of Polynices.
Click here to unlock this and over one million essays
Show MoreRalph Waldo Emerson once said “The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.” Some people choose to believe in fate while others choose to believe in free will. Fate is a power that is believed to control what happens in the future. Free will is the ability to choose the decisions in your life to be whatever you want them to be. One cannot live their life depending on luck or chance which is why free will depicts our future.
Before Creon can change anything, Antigone commits suicide in her cell causing Haemon to also commit suicide. When Creon's wife, Eurydice, finds out about her son, she as well commits suicide. Creon realizes he did wrong too late for being selfish, stubborn, and prideful. Creon's downfall as a tragic hero occurs when his laws compete with the Gods' fate. Antigone is a strong, defiant woman who strongly believes and is motivated by the Gods and her loyalty to her family.
King Creon was Oedipus’ uncle and brother-in-law. Creon did not allow for Polyneices to be buried because Polyneices betrayed him and the town. Antigone wanted to do as the gods said, which was burying her brother, but doing so led her to a sequence of problems. Creon is the tragic hero in “Antigone” because he is excessively prideful and stubborn as a king. Creon’s downfall began with him not burying Polyneices and ended with him being alone without a family.
Antigone commits suicide, but as a tragic hero would do she died doing something she thought was right. She went against a leader’s rule, and buried her brother because he was her family. Creon experienced tragedy because his son, Haemon who was in love with Antigone, has killed himself; which leaded up to the suicide of Creon’s wife. “Woe is me! To none else can lay it, this guilt but to me!
Creon miserably states, “Haimon my son, so young, so young to die. I was a fool, not you, and you died for me.” (Sophocles, 787). Haimon had killed himself because Antigone had killed herself. The fate of Creon is his own fault because his family killed themselves over his mistakes.
Antigone’s father, Oedipus, had fate in his life because there was a
The limited free will of Antigone was not and did not change the outcome of Haemon’s death which led to Haemons Mother dying. Regardless of their free will, the gods already destined Creon to be alone. The chorus explains, “Even the pure immortals cannot escape you, and mortal man, in his one day’s dusk, Trembles before your glory.” This fate brought about the people around him having few limited choices ultimately leading to one outcome
Antigone and her father Oedipus are very alike and different in a few ways. The things that occur to them both lead up to their deaths. For instance, Antigone defies the leader Creon which results in her death. Also, Oedipus and his wife Jocasta ignore the gods which causes Oedipus’s long life of suffering.
“The Scarlet Ibis”: Person vs Fate The definition of fate is ‘The supposed force, principle, or power that predetermines events.’ Fate is a fairly complicated idea. Could something really determine how our lives unfold? Perhaps there’s a higher power?
The theme of Fate vs. Free Will is dominant in William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet; however the theme of fate is more significant than free will. In the play both Romeo and Juliet meeting was contributed by fate as Shakespeare mentioned in the prologue that Romeo and Juliet were star-crossed lovers that were meant to meet, fall in love and their death would be the reason for the feud to end between the two families. Fate was the reason Capulet’s servant asked Romeo and Benvolio to help him read the invitation for him that contained all the names of the people that were invited to the ball Capulet hosted. “…If you be not of the house of Montagues, I pray come and crush a cup of wine.
Was it fate or free will that killed Romeo and Juliet? In the prologue of this play, Shakespeare refers to Romeo and Juliet as “A pair of star-cross'd lovers.” Star crossed lovers are people whose love is destined to end in tragedy. Free will is when people are able to make their own decisions and have consequences based off their decisions instead of predetermined consequences. Fate was definitely the reason for Romeo and Juliet’s tragic deaths because of the unexplainable coincidences, uncharacterized choices, and conscious decisions that all lead to the same inescapable outcome.
Romeo and Juliet Essay Chaos in the streets of Verona erupt again. A day after a fight with the Capulet and Montague family, Tybalt kills Mercutio. Soon after, Romeo kills Tybalt for revenge. Is this controlled by fate, or by the character
Sophocles does not provide background information as it would have been common knowledge. Prior to the opening of Oedipus Tyrannus, Oedipus has left his home and adoptive parents in Corinth in an attempt to escape a prophecy which declares that Oedipus will murder his father and marry his mother. Not knowing that his true parents are Jocasta and Laius, King and Queen of Thebes, Oedipus makes his way towards their city. Along the way, he kills a man travelling with a group who are later revealed to be Laius and his subjects. Oedipus continues and arrives at the Sphinx who has terrorized Thebes until someone solves her riddle.
Niya Kebreab King Oedipus: Moral Ambiguity In the play King Oedipus, Sophocles depicts Oedipus’ inevitable downfall, which represents man’s struggle between free will and fate. In an attempt to use the audience’s knowledge to his advantage, Sophocles opens the play seventeen years after Oedipus murders his father, Laius and marries his mother, Jocasta. The sequence in which the story unravels reveals the strong psychological focus towards Oedipus’ character. In search of his identity, Oedipus’ enigmatic quality and moral ambiguity compels readers to question whether his ignorance renders him morally blameless.
Fate or free will? Paulo Coelho once said: “I can control my destiny, but not my fate. Destiny means there are opportunities to turn right or left, but fate is a one-way street. I believe we all have the choice as to whether we fulfill our destiny, but our fate is sealed.” According to oxford dictionary, fate is the development of events outside a person’s control, regarded as predetermined by a super natural power.