Oedipus Rex and King Lear plays are both about kings as the title suggests. These two plays are very similar in a number of ways. The kings in each play both fall from high positions of power to become some of most hated members in society. Oedipus finds out that he is a murderer and commits incest while Lear turns into a mad beggar. Misguided judgments and decisions are seen in both plays, and questions of fate and free will are posed. While both plays contain some similarities and differences in how each king learns the lessons that accompany their respective descents, they weigh free will against fate and the definitions of good against evil differently. When we examine Oedipus Rex, we see the idea of the hero as the Everyman as in the …show more content…
They both have the chance to see the truth but on some level, they ignore it. Lear would rather hear plentiful compliments than the less exciting truth. Gloucester is very oblivious to the situation. However, by the end of the act, both of them see the truth. Lear sees that Cordelia is his only faithful daughter, and Gloucester discovers Edmund’s wicked plans. Ironically, it is not Until Gloucester can no longer see physically that he sees Edmund’s real behavior. In Oedipus Rex, the characters were not able to make the best decisions since they did not have all the information. That is entirely different with King Lear: Lear and Gloucester had all the answers readily available but decided instead to do what they wanted to do. Oedipus kills his father and takes his mother as his wife. While that sounds wrong, we know that Oedipus did not intend to do it; it was outside his control. In fact, because he acted in an admirable manner within the bounds of his predicted fate, he is considered a hero. While Edmund and the two daughters from King Lear look bad, could their actions be completely dictated by destiny? Do the daughters love their father but are pawns in the bigger picture? Did the eclipse drive them to do their dastardly deeds? If their actions are indeed controlled by fate, they are not necessarily
In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, there is a question as to whether or not Macbeth is driven by fate or free will. The three weird sisters approach Macbeth with prophecies that will all come true in the end. It would appear that Macbeth is just following destiny at first. However, Macbeth always had a choice throughout the play to choose his own fate. Macbeth journeyed to his murderous doom through his own free choice.
Throughout the play we find that Oedipus, the protagonist of this Greek tragedy, is tested by life in a number of ways. To those in Athens who watched the performance of Oedipus the King, Oedipus appeared to be the embodiment of a perfect Athenian. He is self-confident, intelligent, and strong-willed. Ironically, these are the very traits which bring about his tragic discovery. He is portrayed as a character of
Throughout the play A Midsummer Night's Dream, Shakespeare uses both fate and free will to present his philosophy towards the nature of love. The characters struggle through confusion and conflicts to be with the one they love. Although the course of their love did not go well, love ultimately triumphs over all at the end of the play. The chaos reaches a climax causing great disruption among the lovers. However, the turmoil is eventually resolved by Puck, who fixes his mistake. The confusion then ends and the lovers are with their true love. Throughout the play Shakespeare's philosophy was displayed in various scenes, and his concept still holds true in modern society.
Oedipus the King, was written by Sophocles between C.A.496-406B.C. In this play, Oedipus is a great example of Sophocles’ belief that fate will control a man’s life no matter how much free will exists.
Fate vs Free Will is one of the most oft used literary techniques in writing. It is never more evident than in Shakespeare’s play Macbeth. The major theme of the story Macbeth is whether or not the story is fueled by the free will of Macbeth, or by his fate. Are the events in Macbeth a result of his mentality and outlook on life, or were they going to happen no matter what? Almost every major event that takes place can be traced back to this question. It can be viewed in different ways, and most people have their own opinions. Dissecting this question is a part of what makes teaching Macbeth still have so much value to this day. But there is a clear answer to this question upon further dissection. The story of Macbeth is fueled by his free
Fate refers to an occurrence that uncontrollably befalls a person. The Oracle Prophesies at Delphi dooms Oedipus prior to his birth; by prophesying that Oedipus would marry his mother and kill his father. Oedipus learns about this prophecy, and lands on this fate because of his arrogance. He makes a quest for the truth about his father, because he does not know about his origin. This forms a platform for the occurrence of the Oracle prophecies. He eventually marries his mother and kills his father as prophesized by the Oracle. But was this uncontrollable? Was it not obvious that Oedipus unwittingly murdered his father, King Laius of Thebes, at a crossroad? Then as he married the king 's widow, Oedipus also wed his own mother, fulfilling the double fate of parricide and incest foretold about him. Kurt Fosso argues that “Resisting fate, One could argue that Oedipus 's
*INTRO*The character Oedipus in the play Oedipus the King by Sophocles, and the character Othello in the play Othello the Moor of Venice by Shakespeare are both tragic characters. Oedipus ends up killing his father, and marrying and having children with his mother, whereas Othello ends up mistrusting and killing his wife. These two individuals have similarities and differences in several aspects such as the roundness of their characters, the retribution that they incur upon themselves and upon their respective wives whether directly or indirectly, and their horrors.
The topic of Islamophobia is still a taboo for some people because they don’t want to admit that a form of discrimination is rapidly growing and is not truly frowned upon by most people. The truth is, is that Islamophobia is a big deal that most Americans won’t bring up. A good portion of our current Presidential candidates have the fear of Muslims. This shows that a good portion of the country is having the same discriminatory feelings that people had during the Civil Rights movement.
Oedipus and Macbeth are very similar they both went to their demise trying to gain more power and taking responsibility of their own actions. They both become king and was the highest in the land, but they were not able to keep their position. They both went through many conflicts, which help form what happened to them. Internal conflicts was prevalent in both plays, along with conflicts of other people. Both plays were written to teach the audience a
In Shakespeare’s Tragedy Macbeth, it is very debatable if fate, or freewill is what causes Macbeth to do the things he does through out the tragedy. Freewill is at work most through out the tragedy because Macbeth is convinced he can change or speed up the fate the three weird sisters prophesized for him at his own will. Throughout the play, Macbeth slowly begins to think he can modify his fate by using the prophecies told to Macbeth by the weird sisters and attempting to change them by his free will.
In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, and Sophocles, Oedipus the King, both of the main characters conform to the same classic tragic hero formula. Oedipus suffers a life based on a pre‐birth prophecy, whereas Hamlet finds himself burdened with the task of avenging his father’s death. In both situations, two kings must leave their innocence behind as the truth leads them first, to enlightenment and then to their downfall. They battle between the light, the truth and the darkness, the lie. Both Hamlet and Oedipus are similar in that they both showcase their mental state and stability, they are able to make swift decisions, and they both deal with relationships with women. Despite similarities between Hamlet and Oedipus, it is Oedipus’ consideration to do what is best for his people and city that makes him the more honourable man.
Thesis Statement: Oedipus is the personification of Aristotle’s characterization of a tragic hero through his ability to maintain and keep his virtue and wisdom, despite his shortcomings and situation in life.
fate or determinism and say this was all planned out from the beginning of time knowing some things in nature happen randomly--
To activate prior knowledge and introduce the concept of bullying, I would read the CNN.com article: “Bullying rampant in U.S. middle schools” to the class (see attached article). Following the article I would engage the students in a discussion on bullying.
Oedipus Rex and King Lear are, as their titles announce, both about kings. These two plays are similar in theme and in the questions they pose to the audience. The kings in each play both fall from the pinnacle of power to become the most loathed of all classes in society; Oedipus discovers that he is a murderer and committer of incest, and Lear becomes a mad beggar. Misjudgments occur in both plays, and the same questions about the gods, fate, and free will are posed. In spite of these similarities, however, the final effects of these two plays differ greatly.