To what degree is Oedipus' life controlled by fate?
Oedipus learns that he is going to kill his father and marry his mother, so he flees from Corinth and Polybus and Merope because he believes they are his real parents, and he does not want to do what the prophecy said he would do. Oedipus tries to disprove the prophecy, so he travels far from any possibility of fulfilling that fate, only to encounter his real parents in Thebes. On the way there Oedipus kills his father, and when he arrives he marries his mother.
Although that part of his life was controlled by fate, was the rest, too?
The only predetermined parts of Oedipus' life were killing his father and marrying his mother. Although those were the only parts of his life determined by fate, they were fairly significant parts. Oedipus was able to survive his parents' death sentence because the shepherd and messenger allowed him to live in Corinth with adopted parents. Oedipus was supposed to find out his fate because it led him to leave his adopted parents, whom he thought were his real parents. He was predetermined to leave Corinth and return to Thebes so that he could encounter his real parents. Oedipus needed to kill his father at the crossroads, and later solve the sphinx's riddle so he could marry his mother. Fate controlled a huge part of Oedipus' life, but after his fate was fulfilled, he was able to use his free will. Oedipus used free will to decide whether or not he should flee or die after he discovered the truth about his birth father and mother. He also decided to blind himself; that was not fated. Ultimately, fate controlled the big parts of Oedipus' life until the fate of killing his father and marrying his mother was fulfilled.
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Monday, September 3, 2012
Are we governed by fate, free will, or a greater power? Or do we fall somewhere on the spectrum between?
The idea of fate has always taken my interest. Are we predetermined to be who we are? Do we have control over what we decide to do with our lives? We all can decide what we want to do, but did some higher power have that decision in the plan of the world? Christians hold a belief that God gave us free will to do as we please, but do we have complete control over our lives? Do things happen for a reason, or is it just coincidence? Was I fated to move here, to meet all these new people, to give up my old life, to adjust myself to the new environment? Or was it just coincidence that my family made a last minute decision to move? Moving here allowed me to clear my mind about my future. In Illinois I was not concerned about my future very much. I didn't care about what college I go to and I had not yet decided what I want to do. I was somewhat indifferent about my interests and many other things. When I moved here, I met a few key people that helped me grow up and take life more seriously. Those people showed me my strengths and helped me decide that I want to be an engineer. Was I predetermined to meet them so that they could guide me on the path through life, or was it just coincidence?
Beowulf relates to the question about fate because the epic hero's life seems to be predetermined. Beowulf owes Hrothgar a favor, so he travels to his land to try to save his people from Grendel. Beowulf happens to be the only man strong enough to defeat him. He was fated to keep his promise and help Hrothgar. The hero later has to defeat the mother of Grendel, and he finds the only sword that can destroy her. Beowulf needed that to carry on his heroic journey. Later he becomes king of the Geats, which definitely does not sound like coincidence because all of the old king's sons had to die first. It seems to be Beowulf's destiny that he is king when someone wakes the dragon guarding treasure. He proves his heroism by defeating the dragon, but not without a fatal injury. It was Beowulf's destiny to die there because his name can live on forever, and he freed the treasure for his people.
Fate can also relate to more important things, like the economy. I read an article about how Germany holds the fate of the euro zone. Germany has to help some countries within the euro zone to save them from a down-spiraling economy. There are 17 nations that use the euro as their currency and many are having economic difficulties. Germany can help, but they would have to be willing to give up a lot. Germany controls those nations fates: If the nation helps, they could start to stabilize the euro a little, or if they decide not to help, there could be major changes in the value of the euro, and they could send the other countries into deeper debt.
Beowulf relates to the question about fate because the epic hero's life seems to be predetermined. Beowulf owes Hrothgar a favor, so he travels to his land to try to save his people from Grendel. Beowulf happens to be the only man strong enough to defeat him. He was fated to keep his promise and help Hrothgar. The hero later has to defeat the mother of Grendel, and he finds the only sword that can destroy her. Beowulf needed that to carry on his heroic journey. Later he becomes king of the Geats, which definitely does not sound like coincidence because all of the old king's sons had to die first. It seems to be Beowulf's destiny that he is king when someone wakes the dragon guarding treasure. He proves his heroism by defeating the dragon, but not without a fatal injury. It was Beowulf's destiny to die there because his name can live on forever, and he freed the treasure for his people.
Fate can also relate to more important things, like the economy. I read an article about how Germany holds the fate of the euro zone. Germany has to help some countries within the euro zone to save them from a down-spiraling economy. There are 17 nations that use the euro as their currency and many are having economic difficulties. Germany can help, but they would have to be willing to give up a lot. Germany controls those nations fates: If the nation helps, they could start to stabilize the euro a little, or if they decide not to help, there could be major changes in the value of the euro, and they could send the other countries into deeper debt.
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