Tracing back to the primordial era, several ancient plays used the notions of morality, free will and fate. In several literary pieces there is an issue between the human preconception to fully assent fate and the natural desire to control destiny. In Oedipus Rex by Sophocle and Hamlet by William Shakespeare, it is shown that the matters of fate and free will always create a struggle for the individual’s control over his life. The main characters of both plays, Oedipus and Hamlet, are put into similar situations they can’t escape but it is ultimately their actions that led to different interpretations of the human condition. In The Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals, philosopher Kant discusses the development of human nature as rational and the concepts of morality. In Oepidus Rex, fate overrides free will; the harder Oedipus tried to escape fate, the more he thrusts forth into his own fate.
On the other hand, in Hamlet, the human will is powerful. Lastly, social structures, such as the ancient Greek civilization, could impact one’s role within society as well as affect their individual freedom. To begin with, in the Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals, Kant explains that each and every individual is indeed free and logical. He explains that morality requires us to separate our logic from our nature and act only on the origin of reasonable beliefs. Rational ideas are thoughts that make sense to all rational beings; they are universal. For instance, there is a big difference between what is moral for Hamlet versus what is expected of him by society. Nevertheless, Hamlet keeps his sense of individuality and does not conform to society’s expectations. By the same token, one’s opinion may not always be adequate but it is based on three notions: rational, absurd and freedom. In Hamlet, assumptions were being made of him being a procrastinator, which presupposes that he was seeking revenge, when in fact he was patiently, and humbly seeking justice.
The Term Paper on Fate And Free Will In Harry Potter
One of the most pondered questions in human existence is whether our lives are determined by forces which are beyond our control or by our own free will. It is widely believed that one’s own destiny is created by fate. However, some also consider the possibility that one’s own choices can determine the reality of one’s existence. In Harry Potter, JK Rowling uses fate and choice ...
His reason for not acting with hatred lies behind his moral conscience and his willingness to bring justice to the world. With patience, Hamlet acted on his free will by planning out how to get back at Claudius rationally through moral imperatives. In Sophocles’ literary work, Oedipus did not intend to commit those bad deeds; it was part of his destiny. Effectively, Kant explains that all individuals possess a “rational free will” and are capable of recognizing the three pillars of morality: God, freedom, and immorality. Therefore, every act committed with intent holds a moral culpability within the individual responsible. For that reason, due to the fact that Oedipus was a tragic hero who could not escape his fate, he could not be held morally responsible for marrying his mother and killing his father.
Furthermore, the notions of free will and fate are the mains themes of both Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Sophocles’ Oedipus. However, the conceptions of free will and fate are demonstrated differently in both literary works. In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the circumstance of his actions gave him the free will to change his fate. In contrast, in Sophocles play, before birth , Oedipus’ fate was to murder his father and espouse his mother. His fate is predestined and as he tries to change things, it leads to self-destruction. “He’ll be revealed a brother and a father to his children in his house, husband and son to her who gave him birth; wife-sharer and the killer of his father.” (Sophocles 457).
At one point in the play, Oedipus plucks his eyeballs out because he can’t bare to see the reality of his actions. He held a sense of guilt, which made him feel inner pain ( social morality).
The Term Paper on In King Lear Hamlet Oedipus Rex
Tragic Heroes In King Lear, Hamlet, Oedipus Rex Since the beginning of civilization there always been tragedies. Man has always had to come to a tragic faith throughout the years. Men, women, and children have had to deal with pre-determined faith of each and everyone down throughout the centuries. Tragedy is a conflict between a force on one side, to a protagonist of the other. What usually makes ...
On the other hand, in Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet uses free will to create his own destiny by choosing his actions. He’s tormented by the contradicting concepts of fate and fortune. Hamlet questions wheatear he should kill Claudius for killing King Hamlet or if he should not take fate into his own hands by not messing with destiny. One could perceive that Hamlet is constantly rationalizing and making moral decisions although he is free to act willingly. Moreover, it is eminent to note that social structures and social norms vary depending on the era and on the society itself. According to Kant, the ancient Greek philosophy was divided into three fields: logic, physics and ethics. In the ethics of ancient Greece, an individual’s inner and external life was shaped by his hereditary social status. This could be exemplified by the principle of the civil democracy, a moral principle in the power of the Gods and public perception of hierarchy, which are represented when the community is undergoing social disorders. Another fundamental aspect of Oedipus’ ancient Greek society was it’s superstitious as well as religious nature. The standard agreements would intend to build a meaning interconnected to fate.
In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the play took place in Denmark. In this Danish society, people were like puppets. For example, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Both their characters did what they were told to do by one of higher power, King Claudius. Their characters portray the languid and ignorant minds of society that just follow the social standard and the bourgeois class. To add to this, there was a unethical lifestyle in the bourgeois society that just like in Oedipus Rex, held a sense of superstition by promoting the idea of fate. Above all, Hamlet struggles to live between opposing society’s expectations because he acknowledges that he is in a “blinded” society but as an individual he has a “free thought” of his own. As for Oedipus, in the play, he fails to win the battle in order to gain control of his life and so he has to relinquish to his destiny.
Afterwards, he gains the freedom to live past his agony and to decease in harmony. It these plays, both tragic heroes lived in societies that go by the “herd”. Both characters Hamlet and Oedipus were continuously struggling with their civilization. In such sheltered societies full of conspiracies, ethics and expectations freedom is not really achievable. As a final point, it has been evidenced that concepts of morality, free will and fate and presented in different forms through out both Shakespeare’s and Sophocles’ literary pieces. Subsequently, the issues of fate and free will are thoroughly assessed with concepts depicted from The Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals by Kant all while discussing the development of human nature as rational and the concept of immorality. In brief, both tragic heroes, Hamlet and Oedipus, had different interpretations of the human condition but ultimately could not escape fate.
The Essay on Fate vs. Free Will: Oedipus Rex
Oedipus’ ignorance, disrespect, and unending search for the truth ultimately contribute to his free willing destruction of life and the completion of prophecy. Fate is the theory that our lives are “predetermined” for us, and the concept that states that humans have the choice to choose what decisions they make in life is know as free will. Society tends to generally feel that free will is the ...
For one, in Oedipus’ case the notion of free will could not help him under any circumstance because his tragedy was predestined and fate overpowers human will. In Hamlet’s circumstance he could use free will , he has the freedom to chance fate by being moral and rational but ultimately cannot change his destiny. Lastly, the lifestyles of both tragic heroes are strongly affected by their social structures and norms. Both characters are living is sheltered societies that have strong beliefs in fate and that are classified according to social hierarchy and doctrines that infer with one’s freedom.
