...Abstract Free will is the power of acting without the constraint of necessity or fate, the ability to act at one's own discretion. Do you believe in free will or fate? Free will, we are responsible for our actions, we must pay the price for every choice we make. Fate believes that you may not pay the price for any wrong doing and thinks everything happens for a reason. Many people live life by fate. FREE WILL Free will was compromised when people started believing that everything happens because that’s the plan god has, People started believing in fate. Many believed it to be compromised after Andreas Lubitz deliberately crashed flight 9525 on 24 March 2015, killing himself and the other 149 passengers and crew, they believed he suffered from depression. People thought he was a mass murderer and that he lost his free will because of depression. We struggle to find the causes and actions for mental illness; we wonder what make people commit the crimes they commit. We blame their childhood, their mental illness and life struggles. “The problem is that his behavior seemed deliberate and calculating; yet it is also difficult to think of him as being in full control of himself. Such questions might be for clinicians and legal experts. But the philosophical question of free will also has a role to play in how we understand such acts”(The Philosophers' Magazine online). Working at my previous call center job made me a harsh person, I believed that people lied to get their...
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...Rachel Urvina Kimberly Roff Humanities II [ 8 July 2012 ] The Fate and Free Will of Man Throughout time there has always seemed to be an argument over the question of man being able to control his own destiny by free will or if he must just accept the fate that was laid before him from the Gods above? In the Greek Tragedy Oedipus the King, the play clearly illustrates the struggle and tension between the two conflicting entities between fate and free will. Fate represents the might of the Gods and is prearranged while free will has consequences of its choices. One of the most important themes of this play is the tension between free will and fate. While ones individual choices, such as Oedipus’s quest for his identity, are important, ultimately fate is responsible for Oedipus’s incest and several other paramount events of the play. Sophocles articulates the importance of fate and suggests the characters cannot bear the full responsibility for their actions. For instance, Oedipus cannot be entirely held accountable for being oblivious about, marrying his mother. Oedipus learns from the messenger that he is not the child of Polybus but, Oedipus refuses to believe this. Oedipus whole heartedly believes that he is the son of Polybus; however the truth comes to light that he is really the son of Jocasta The origins of this play accommodate the question about precognition and anticipation. The audience, who knew the myth, would know from the start far more than Oedipus himself...
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...The tension between free will and destiny: Which one is more powerful? ‘I would say that there are three main questions: One, do people have free will? Two, is determinism true? And three, are free will and determinism compatible? ’ Throughout history, human beings have always tried to be the ones who have the power to rule their own lives. However, there exists a debate which questions whether that is really possible or not. In other words: are human beings capable of deciding what to do with their lives or is there a greater force that rules over our destiny? The Oxford English Dictionary defines destiny as ‘that which is destined or fated to happen to a particular person, country, institution, etc. (…).’ Consequently, this term is opposed to free will, defined as ‘the power of an individual to make free choices, not determined by divine predestination, the laws of physical causality, fate, etc. (…).’ Human beings have thought of these antithetic concepts as something to worry about since the beginning of civilization. Because of that, playwrights have taken them into consideration when writing different plays all over the years. This essay seeks to explore the tension existing between the concepts of destiny and free will in the world of drama through the study of language as well as the analysis of character and situation development. In order to carry this research out, I will take Oedipus Rex by Sophocles (429 BC) and Dr Faustus by Christopher Marlowe (1604) as the...
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...Fate and free will is one theme that really stands out to me. There are many things that happen to Odysseus in the Odyssey that is based on destiny and mostly through the whole book he is robbed of his free will. One example of destiny was when Odysseus and his crew were on the ship and he was the only survivor. Another example would be of free will, when Odysseus was imprisoned by the giants and not let free. Destiny prevailed and helped Odysseus escape from the giants and gain his freedom. Last example would be of Fate when Odysseus returned home and shot his arrow and killed all the suitors for the hand of his wife. Tradition and custom is another theme that is heavily used in the Odyssey. It’s a great connection to ancient greek culture...
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...Oedipus the King: Free Will or 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. With all the oracles and talk of prophecies, its obvious that there is some divine intervention in Oedipus. But how strong is it, and how much control does Oedipus really have? Fate, or divine will, manifests itself in a number of ways. First, in Oedipus at Colonus, there is the oracle at Delphi that tells Oedipus’s parents and then himself that he will kill his father and marry his mother. It does end up happening, proving divine intervention occurs. Later, the prophet Tiresias tells Oedipus exactly what the oracle did, making himself another example of divine will, that is, the gods speak through him. Divine intervention is abundant in Oedipus at Colonus, too. In it, Oedipus tries to gain sympathy for himself by saying all the sins he committed in the previous play were the work of fate, thus proving the point of divine intervention in Oedipus the King. There are examples of divine intervention that are only in Oedipus at Colonus, like all the prophecies from the oracle. First, it is said that the city Oedipus is buried in will be blessed...
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...Oedipus the King: Free Will or 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. With all the oracles and talk of prophecies, its obvious that there is some divine intervention in Oedipus. But how strong is it, and how much control does Oedipus really have? Fate, or divine will, manifests itself in a number of ways. First, in Oedipus at Colonus, there is the oracle at Delphi that tells Oedipus’s parents and then himself that he will kill his father and marry his mother. It does end up happening, proving divine intervention occurs. Later, the prophet Tiresias tells Oedipus exactly what the oracle did, making himself another example of divine will, that is, the gods speak through him. Divine intervention is abundant in Oedipus at Colonus, too. In it, Oedipus tries to gain sympathy for himself by saying all the sins he committed in the previous play were the work of fate, thus proving the point of divine intervention in Oedipus the King. There are examples of divine intervention that are only in Oedipus at Colonus, like all the prophecies from the oracle. First, it is said that the city Oedipus is buried in will be blessed...
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...Lastly, people are prisoners of their minds by believing fate will bring them to a path that they want. In “Macbeth”, Macbeth goes to the witches to ask them about his fate. He believes that the witches’ prophecies are true, so he went to them and asked them about it. Another scenario would be Macbeth asking for fate to aid him in his battle. He believes that fate will put him where he is supposed to be in his life. So, he asks for fate to guide him in his battles. For the first example for this topic, Macbeth goes to the three witches and gets his prophecies from them. The witches tell him his prophecies and Macbeth felt that they are safe. Macbeth says, “Sweet bedoments! Good!” (4.1.100).Macbeth believes what the witches are saying and believes...
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...Dylan Farrell 5/15/17 Mrs. Tapia Oedipus Essay Free will and Fate has been an argument forever now, such as the story of “Oedipus The King” written. Oedipus was expected to live a great life and thought to be worth a lot, however he had no clue about his past. When his realized what his past was, everything went haywire. However the death of the baby was untrue. Oedipus goes through a bunch of coincidences that makes it seems like his life is predetermined and almost impossible. He encounters things like unknowingly marrying his mom, killing his dad, and escaping death at a young age. Jocasta and King Laius had a baby who had a great future and they were very excited to have. This baby would have everything in the world. Money, fame, royalty, anything he wanted could be his. After is his prophecy was told, Laius told Oedipus that he must die. They forced the shepherd to pin his feet and throw him in the mountains. Oedipus ended up not being killed but given to the king and queen of Corinth. Since he was very little at the time Oedipus always thought of them as the biological parents. His whole life was a lie....
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...Joshua Berube Mr. Welsch ENG 3U1 Monday, May 9th, 2016 Macbeth’s Fate Fate is defined in many different ways. Webster's Dictionary defines fate as a power that predetermines events. Fate and destiny suggest that events are unavoidable and unchangeable. Whatever happens in life is meant to be and cannot be changed by mankind. The play Macbeth by William Shakespeare displays ambition, fate, deception and treachery. Fate is a supernatural force that controls the actions and choices of others. In Macbeth fate plays an important role in the lives of Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, and Banquo. Macbeth’s fate is unavoidable and unchangeable. Macbeth’s fate is sealed as soon as he meets the witches’. Macbeth’s fate is tragic. Macbeth and Banquo are together...
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...life goes is according to fate or free will? Some people lives are controlled by fate, however, some are controlled simply by your own choice of free will. Free Will, is “The power of acting without the constraint of necessity or fate; the ability to act at one’s own discretion” (Oxford Dictionaries). Free will allows a person to take action in any case of alternatives without a sense of obligation, but by their own chosen decisions. However, Fate is “The development of events outside a person’s control, regarded as predetermined by a supernatural power” (Oxford Dictionaries). Fate is the progressive unchanging flow of actions and events, predestined and guaranteed by a higher order or deity, in a person’s life that no one can change. For example, in the drama stories of Sophocles “Oedipus the King” and William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”. One of the two stories will show Fate while the other demonstrates Free Will. Oedipus and Hamlet’s life may seem alike as they both wanted what was best for their people and for their loved ones. However, Oedipus’s life...
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...Merriam Webster defines free will as “the power of acting without the constraint of necessity or fate; the ability to act at one's own discretion.” Fate is a development of events beyonds a person’s control. These ideas are exactly what Sophocles is challenging is his play Oedipus Rex. In Oedipus Rex the protagonist Oedipus is trying to figure who killed the former king Laius, not realizing he was the killer himself. Oedipus was destined to kill his father and marry his mother. Throughout the play, Oedipus is torn between accepting the prophecy or choosing his own destiny. Despite his best effort, the prophecy laid out for him came true. Oedipus Rex uses symbolism to illustrate the theme that one can never escape fate. One symbol used in Oedipus Rex is the scars on his feet. It represent the suffering he has endured and will keep on enduring. In the play Oedipus finds out from a messenger that his adopted father Polybus is dead. The messenger explains how long ago he found a baby on Mount Cithaeron with its...
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...Fate vs. Free Will in Julius Caesar The play Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare is a timeless piece that highlights themes of one’s integrity and destiny. Scenes three and five in the final act are very significant because they truly reveal the fate and virtue of Cassius and Brutus. Both characters committed suicide in these scenes, but the way they each did it exposed their morals. Without the use of dramatic effect, the play would not have been as effective in developing its major concepts. Julius Caesar consistently provoked the question of whether fate or free will controls our lives. Ultimately the plot determined that fate and free will do not work individually, but in conjunction. In Act 5 Scene 3 after Cassius sends Titinius off to discover whose tents have been set on fire and Pindarus to watch uphill he declares,” This day I breathed first. Time is come round, / And where I did begin, there shall I end. / My life is run his compass.” (5.3.24-26). Cassius expresses that he will die on his birthday because his life has made a complete circle. Here the reader may infer that Cassius is just listening to his inner wisdom that he will die today. However, Cassius took it upon himself to ask Pindarus to stab him with his sword after being misinformed that Titinius has been captured by their opposing force. His actions are a complete contradiction because initially Cassius believed he was going to die because of his fate, but then committed suicide...
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...The Idea of escaping fate is a great way of looking at this text and I feel you make a good argument of Oedipus as a tragic figure. Fate does seem determined to make Oedipus follow the path laid out for him. As you mention, Oedipus is attempting to resist fate. His destiny being revealed to him, he leaves what he believes to be his father and mother never to see them again in an effort to keep the prophecy from coming true. Unfortunately, this action leads Oedipus directly into alignment with the events that would bring about his murdering his true father and having children with his mother. Once your fate is set there is no way out. The tragic part of the text is not necessarily his fate, but how it unfolds. He inadvertently propels...
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...Don’t be misled by the idea that fate is the reason for the actions that are made in your life. Freewill and the choices you commit play a bigger part in your future rather than destiny. Destiny and fate are concepts based on the belief that there is a fixed natural order to the universe. This is unmistakably demonstrated the 17th century play Macbeth. Shakespeare has most definitely positioned the audience to view Macbeth as a partial victim of fate, through the use of dramatic technique and manipulation of language. He is under the influence of the supernatural forces of the witches. However, Shakespeare also portrays Macbeth as a man of action that freely shapes his own future through his own decisions and actions. This is clearly made evident...
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...In ancient Greece, the people praised the Greek gods like the all powerful Zeus, Hera, and Apollo. There are many stories that focus on Greek gods, some people believe them to be true and some see them as stories. The Greek god Apollo focused on fate, plagues, and healing. He was considered the most Greek god of all gods. In Oedipus Rex, Sophocles uses the Greek god Apollo to show his influences on human life in how he controls fate, how plagues can change people actions, and healing in their lives all in a mythological view. Sophocles uses Oedipus as an example for being born into tragedy was his fate. Before Oedipus was born he was prophesied to kill his father and to marry his mother. Fate is an unpredictable circumstance as Jocasta says, “Why should anyone in this...
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