Oedipus the Free

Banquo has a chance of becoming king and the only way for Macbeth to make sure that does not happen is if he kills Banquo. Macbeth’s mind is so corrupted that he is willing to kill his own friend to maintain his fate and through his, he shows the audience his true nature. Faced by fate, Macbeth’s ambitious actions eventually leads to his death. In the beginning of the tragedy Macbeth judgment is more ethical and clear. He utters that “[he has] no spur to prick the sides of [his] intent, but only vaulting

This is the moment ... ... middle of paper ... ...l a facility of Hieronimo, he would have realized that killing others does not achieve a resolution, but propagates even further confusion and chaos. Revenge is a maliciously deviant instrument that seeks to redefine an imbalanced society, but ultimately fails due to its irrational nature. Hieronimo was unable to achieve justice for his son, Horatio, so he turned to the grim specter of revenge. Without justice, the Spanish society was unable to sustain itself and Hieronimo only further exacerbated this tension. In the end, Hieronimo was a victim of the very crime he pursued to bring to justice throughout the play: murder.

This blindness contributes to his vehement and steadfast decision to exile the murderer, even if the murderer is a member of the royal family. Thus, Oedipus, not fate, is responsible for his choice to exile to murderer and make it known to the public. As the play progresses we see Oedipus continuing to exercise free will, but his character interferes in a way that encourages his failure. He summons Tiresias because he seeks the truth about Laius’s death, except Tiresias is reluctant to tell Oedipus. Naturally, Oedipus indicts Tiresias and forces him to divulge the information.

He cursed the murderer, announcing “May he drag out an evil death-in-life in misery.” These characteristics of pride and determination, which Oedipus emanates throughout the play, may appear to be positive attributes to one’s personality. However, Oedipus’ actions, based on these characteristics, are what led him to his eventual downfall and suffrage. If Oedipus had not been so determined to escape and prevent the prophecy, he would not have fulfilled it. Possibly, he was doomed to fulfill the prophecy because he believed he could avoid it. Nevertheless, his fate was sealed by his actions of pride and determination.

The King means a great deal to young Hamlet, as any father does to their son, and he will do anything to make sure the murderer gets what they deserve. And so after a long soliloquy by Hamlet expressing his emotions and thoughts towards the tragedy, he starts plotting, “…How strange or odd so e'er I bear myself/As I perchance hereafter shall think meet/To put an antic disposition on…” (1.5.189-191). In translation, he is saying sometimes it is best to fake insanity. The reasoning behind this is not to do with mental stability but with his rationalism. Only someone stable could come up with a plan so rational and clever.

He is unwavering on his quest to reveal mysteries that should have been left alone, that he blinds himself to the costs of his findings. He trusts that he can scheme to escape the prediction made by the oracle. Once he does this, he defies the gods and their power over man, and sets a series of events in motion that would directly lead to his demise. While at times Oedipus seems to respect the gods, he did try to outwit them to change his destiny. He was not aware that the adjustment he made to change his fate actually sealed his fate.

Authors use the tragic hero’s “struggles with destiny” (S.H. Butcher) to help teach the audience certain morals they believe are necessary for living. Oedipus is blinded by his will to defy fate. He lives his life with “neither confidence nor fear,” (14) which leads him into the path of destruction. After King Laius’s death, Oedipus seeks to “dispel the stain” from Thebes to prevent his own death by the “same violent hand.”(16) Oedipus is unaware he is the murderer—in trying to prevent himself from killing his “father” he runs to Thebes and killed his father.

Revealing that catharsis is created when the audience has pity or fear when they see that bad things can happen to good people. For this purpose, neither Oedipus nor Creon where good leaders because both were hypocritical tragic heroes. Initially, both Oedipus and Creon exert an overbearing determination that can be the tragic flaw that destroys their lives. However, both have contrasting motives. Oedipus was determined to find the killer of King Laius saying, "As for the criminal, I pray to God- whether it be a lurking thief, or one of a number- I pray that that man's life be consumed in evil and wretchedness and as for me this curse applies no less…" (World Lit 316).

Oedipus acts like a modern day outlaw ? shoot first and ask questions later. In this way, Oedipus starts the fight without patience and as a result fulfills Apollo?s prophecy perfectly. Not only impatience but also delusion is a characteristic that leads Oedipus to fight his father. After listening to Laius?s assassin, Oedipus?s delusion is noticeable through his statement, ?Whoever killed the king might decide to kill me too, / with the same violent hand- by avenging Laius / I defend myself?

Oedipus revelation of the truth has come from his incessant probing and abusing of the truth holders. Despite this awful crime Oedipus takes responsibility and no longer wants to see, he then gouges his eyes in the final symbolism. He now has complete sight but does not wish to see anything. Did Oedipus take the necessary steps to void the prophecy? Indeed Oedipus left Corinth to attempt to resist the prophecy of the oracle, yet he makes destructive choices to kill a man old enough to be his father, them marries a woman old enough to be his mother.