Freedom

Is man free to mold his own destiny, or is he a mere thread on the spool of life the Fates, the three female deities of Greek Mythology, cut and control? Can, in fact, man determine his life and destiny based on his own free will through successful initiation or is he subject to the web of fate that is woven for him? The force, which controls the path of man, whether from fate or through successful transcending initiation, has been a long survived question that yet remains unanswered, but nevertheless, consists of many explanations. Through comprehensive analyses of the tragedies of ancient Greece of Oedipus the King, Antigone, and Medea, the protagonist consistently fails initiation and, as a result, forces fate to take control.

Plato and Aristotle ultimately believed that a positive world could not all be completely ruled by fate, and, in turn, both philosophers argued progressive life for individuals has to be undertaken through initiatory experiences. Therefore, in such transcending realm, man could not be held responsible for his actions mainly because not all men can achieve successful libations and transformations and thus initiat

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Only his exile, a symbolism of destruction and failure, remains simply because of his failed initiation.

In conclusion, throughout the history of human thought, man has struggled with the question of whether man is a meaningless pawn on a chessboard controlled by universal forces, or does he have power over his own fate based on his successful initiation of the self? Both, Plato and Aristotle, acknowledged the existence in the universe of certain laws of the gods that must be obeyed, yet they were not willing to give all of the power of one's fate to these universal forces. Second, in Antigone, Creon’s hubris and ego causes him to experience negative initiation and, as a result, once again, his fate overpowers him. In all, Oedipus is a damaged individual who fails initiatory progress at various levels and as a result lives his unfortunate fate. However, this unwillingness to bury Polyneices obeys Creon's law rather than the law of the gods, a fatal and destructive error on Creon's behalf. For instance, Upon meeting the King of Thebes at the crossing of three roads, Oedipus’s arrogance and temper results in the death of Oedipus's father, the King of Thebes.

Oedipus the King, written by Sophocles, intriguingly explains the theme of demise of the self through failed initiation and thus demonstrates the power of the predicted fate.

Medea, written by Euripides, is the last major Greek Tragedy that represents the power man has over his life but turns for the worse due to failed initiation. Jason’s greediness leads to his power hungry mind where he wants too much prestige and domination, as he is the heir to King Creon, and future king of Greece. Here too, Jason’s untimely fate kicks in all because of his failed initiation. As a result, Medea horrendously murders their two sons for she does not want them to be in the environment of such inhumane actions, and later, murders Jason’s new wife. Creon, like Oedipus, is unable to learn from the words spoken of the prophet, due to his pride and overbearing ego, which in turn, results in the death of Creon's son as Tiresias had stated from before, “A corpse for a corpse the price, and flesh for flesh- one of your own begotten. Last, because of Oedipus’s lack of patience and blindness, two very major flaws of a hero, he is unable to listen to the words spoken by Tiresias, the blind prophet, and is ultimately condemned to his own prophetic and fateful demise all because of his failed initiation. They strongly believed man has to have free will since, otherwise, man would be left with no responsibility of his own actions to enjoy successful liberation or even downfalls. In general, Creon, Antigone's uncle, rebels against the gods and refuses to bury Polyneices because of his excessive pride, or hubris.

Common topics in this essay:
Plato Aristotle, Creon Antigone's, Creon Cornith's, Oedipus King, Creon Oedipus, Thebes Oedipuss, Greek Mythology, Antigone Medea, Greek Tragedy, Jason Medea, failed initiation, oedipus king, unfortunate fate, plato aristotle, king creon, character flaws, tragedies ancient, ancient greece, tragedies ancient greece, initiation result, oedipus king antigone, fateful demise, demise failed initiation, tiresias blind prophet, simply failed initiation,

Approximate Word count = 1158
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

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