Literary Analysis Paper

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Literary Analysis Paper

The play, Antigone, includes the debate about fate and the free will. It includes the debate of whether fate is stronger or free will. Antigone’s fate was to fight for the respect of the family. Antigone fate was to live a free life, but her free will let her choose a life to live against the norms of Creon. When she chooses to disobey Creon, her fate was to die. In doing so she accepts the challenges in her way and opts for going against the set norms. Towards, the end of the play, Creon chooses to let her go, but the fate had already taken over and she died. In the same way, Creon’s fate was to give in to burying the polyconic and let the Antigone live. In the start of the play, Creon was persistent upon his rules he designed and decided to use his niece to set an example for others. In doing so both Chorus and Haemon force him to do otherwise.

It is then until Teresa explains the fate of Creon. After Teresa’s explanation, Creon changes his mind. In the story, it is evident that Creon knows the power of fate. After her explanation, he changes his way and does things accordingly. During the play, Antigone also accepts the way things were happening to her, and she makes herself to accept her fate. During the burial of his brother, she knew that if she gets caught doing this, her fate will be death. Irrespective of the ethics, she participates in the burial of her brother, just because she decides to respect her family. in doing all this she knows that she had to die eventually. She honors the death of her brother as the will of God. At the same time, she also knew that if she accepts death just to honor the death of her brother, it will be an honorable death. She is entangled in the fate of each person in the family of Oedipus. Considering the incidents happened in this play, it is right to argue that fate remains powerful compared to the free will

Gooder writes that in the play Antigone, the contrast between fate and the free will is more metamorphic. He argues that not in the literature, such definite contrast wok. He pillars his opinion on very limited choice, the author of the play has provided to the characters

ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"E5ljEOFH","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Gooder)","plainCitation":"(Gooder)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":228,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/pCT5fGyt/items/XAR2Q35A"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/pCT5fGyt/items/XAR2Q35A"],"itemData":{"id":228,"type":"article-journal","title":"'Fixt Fate'and'Free Will'in\" Phèdre\" and\" Macbeth\"","container-title":"The Cambridge Quarterly","page":"214–231","volume":"28","issue":"3","source":"Google Scholar","author":[{"family":"Gooder","given":"Jean"}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["1999"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Gooder). He writes that Antigone and Creon are both living a different life. They are provided with many different circumstances in the character. Creon being great in power and respect opts for the way other characters do. Similarly, Antigone does the same. He writes that the play apparently draws a contrast between two aspects, but in doing so it comes to the same point. He writes that the end achievement of the characters in the play is the same. Neither of the characters has remained dependent on the conditions, rather have opted to leave the final decision on the forces of nature.

Knox takes the notion of his critic upon the play, by the argument that “Everything you say is obscure and riddling ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"PcOvy815","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Knox)","plainCitation":"(Knox)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":232,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/pCT5fGyt/items/KVSCDK7B"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/pCT5fGyt/items/KVSCDK7B"],"itemData":{"id":232,"type":"article-journal","title":"Sophocles, Oedipus Tyrannos 446: Exit Oedipus?","container-title":"Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Studies","page":"321–332","volume":"21","issue":"4","source":"Google Scholar","title-short":"Sophocles, Oedipus Tyrannos 446","author":[{"family":"Knox","given":"Bernard MW"}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["1980"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Knox)”. He explains this in the manner that every word has its meaning and therefore is not associated with a certain circumstance. Antigone has lived a life which is different to many characters of the play. He writes that Antigone’s life circumstances are much worse compared to that of Creon, therefore, her manner of dealing with the things is different. This is depicted in another way when Oedipus chooses to remain silent on issues of special considerations in the story. There are many situations in the play when the author have not cleared about the intention of the character. Both writers have criticized the manner, the author has opted to write about fate and the free will. Their criticism suggests that fate has remained predominant upon the free will, which justifies the thesis argued in the first place.

Fate vs the free will, in the matrix, tells that fate is non- negotiable. In this movie, it appears that fate is preprogrammed. There are no human efforts which can make the situation good for them. in the movie when Morpheus offers to Neo that it should follow down towards the rabbit hole or choose to live in the wonderland. In this process, he is offering him the option to choose between fate and the free will. In the same scene., where Neo meets Oracle, there are the options to see what the depiction about fate is and the free will in the movie. During the last scenes of the movie, Trinity reveals that she is not under any fear that of accepting her fate in loving Neo. It is right to argue that by making such scenes and the characters, he wants to tell the viewers that decision making remains primary in deciding about the importance of decision- making

In this movie, the choice is the only option the characters are left with for opting. These paths for the characters are already encoded. In the first scenes of the movie, the birds eye view suggests that nothing in life can be left to the circumstances. It is always beforehand that one needs to decide about the way of life. These characters of the movie show that they are forced to live in some forced kind of circumstances. By presenting some literary examples, the filmmaker suggests that it is the life which offers everyone the right choices. These choices at the very first hand tell that the circumstances are always moving toward a definite end. In this procession of the life event, there are some characters which offer to have a look into things which are right and wrong. It is in this very time when fate works. One who takes too long in choosing between the right and wrong is left with nothing in hand.

Frauenfelder writes that it is the culture which develops the circumstances with time. He argues that since the culture is not the same throughout the world ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"eIkZhkvN","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Frauenfelder)","plainCitation":"(Frauenfelder)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":238,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/pCT5fGyt/items/TR32HNAH"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/pCT5fGyt/items/TR32HNAH"],"itemData":{"id":238,"type":"article-journal","title":"Popular Culture and Classical Mythology","container-title":"The Classical World","page":"210–213","source":"Google Scholar","author":[{"family":"Frauenfelder","given":"David"}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2005"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Frauenfelder), therefore it is right to argue that fate can act differently in many cultures. In beneath these cultures, there are different opinions and beliefs which develop the understanding of fate and the free will. When who keep on relying on some natural circumstances, like God or any such things have many reasons to justify his failures. Like these writings, Bushnell also argues the same in other writings. For examples, he writes in another book that tragedies are not always abrupt, it takes time to become mature and finally, there comes a time when no option, other than disruption remains with them ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"lTPNKfYm","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Bushnell)","plainCitation":"(Bushnell)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":234,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/pCT5fGyt/items/RUGAJ3KU"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/pCT5fGyt/items/RUGAJ3KU"],"itemData":{"id":234,"type":"book","title":"Prophesying tragedy: sign and voice in Sophocles' Theban plays","publisher":"Cornell University Press","source":"Google Scholar","title-short":"Prophesying tragedy","author":[{"family":"Bushnell","given":"Rebecca Weld"}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["1988"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Bushnell). Free will has nothing here to influence upon. For Bushnell, fate is the only product which makes one believe that anything is possible.

Bassam’s opinion is somehow relevant to the movie. He argues that it is unjustified to think that fate and free will have never interacted with anyone in life. He focuses on the efforts of the people which is important in deciding the end of life ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"W0Im35Gw","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Bassham)","plainCitation":"(Bassham)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":236,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/pCT5fGyt/items/MF7K2EBI"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/pCT5fGyt/items/MF7K2EBI"],"itemData":{"id":236,"type":"book","title":"The prophecy-driven life: fate and freedom at Hogwarts","publisher":"na","source":"Google Scholar","title-short":"The prophecy-driven life","author":[{"family":"Bassham","given":"Gregory"}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2004"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Bassham). He argues that sooner one opts for one thing between the fate and the free will, sooner he is able to achieve the purpose of his life.

Works Cited:

ADDIN ZOTERO_BIBL {"uncited":[],"omitted":[],"custom":[]} CSL_BIBLIOGRAPHY Bassham, Gregory. The Prophecy-Driven Life: Fate and Freedom at Hogwarts. na, 2004.

Bushnell, Rebecca Weld. Prophesying Tragedy: Sign and Voice in Sophocles’ Theban Plays. Cornell University Press, 1988.

Frauenfelder, David. “Popular Culture and Classical Mythology.” The Classical World, 2005, pp. 210–213.

Gooder, Jean. “'Fixt Fate’and’Free Will’in" Phèdre" and" Macbeth".” The Cambridge Quarterly, vol. 28, no. 3, 1999, pp. 214–231.

Knox, Bernard MW. “Sophocles, Oedipus Tyrannos 446: Exit Oedipus?” Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Studies, vol. 21, no. 4, 1980, pp. 321–332.