Oedipus the King Comparison to Hamlet

The two most controversial situations in a person’s life are fate and free will, the determinants of why things happen the way they do (Hamilton 12). Whether or not what people go through is a result of fate or choice is a thing, which requires adequate deliberation. Fate describes a situation in which someone believe the idea that his or her future is already planned, even though they do not know what is going to happen to them. This, therefore implies that the individual will do a lot of things, but in the end, what happens to him or her is something previously outlined by forces of unknown nature. For instance, individuals who live unhappy lives may assume and believe that their misery is a result of their fate, and that they can do nothing about it. This is further referred to as fatalistic situation. Nonetheless, other people believe they have control over their fates by being brave, while improving their lives, as well. Free will, on the other hand, is the ability of a person to make choices without facing any form of constraints. It presents a situation in which people have every right to judge someone’s action since the doer is always in a position to control what he or she does. This principle of free will comes with religious, ethical, legal and scientific implications (Hamilton 44). From this perspective, it is evident that Oedipus faces experiences caused by fate, and has completely no control over the things happening in his life. He lives at a time when a prophet’s words mean a lot for a person, and all these affect his life in one way or the other. Hamlet, on the other hand, faces experiences duly caused by free will. He is in complete control of his actions, and has targets to achieve from everything he does.

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...n in relation to their destinies. In the end, Oedipus has no control over his life experiences while Hamlet acts out of free will to determine his destiny.

Works Cited

Dandelion, Pink. Towards Tragedy/reclaiming Hope: Literature, Theology, and Sociology in Conversation. London: Ashgate, 2004.

Hamilton, David. Destiny Vs Free Will: Why Things Happen the Way They Do. New York: Hay House Publishers, 2007.

Jones, Ernest. Hamlet and Oedipus. New York: W. W. Norton, Incorporated, 1976.

Shakespeare, William "Hamlet" 2014.Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and

Writing. By X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 12th ed. Boston: Pearson, 2013. 915-939. Print.

Sophocles. "Oedipus the King." 2014. Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and

Writing. By X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 12th ed. Boston: Pearson, 2013. 860-870. Print.