Comparing Minority Report And Oedipus The King

Ursula K. Le Guin, an American author of science fiction novels, once said, “A man does not make his destiny: he accepts it or denies it.” Guin expresses that fate is irresistible, but one can either accept it and move on or deny it and work to change it. In the play Oedipus the King, written by Sophocles, and in the film Minority Report, directed by Steven Spielberg, the tragic endings were evoked by the protagonists’ denials of their destinies and their efforts to turn them to a positive direction. Both Oedipus and John Anderton wished to evade their fates but ultimately failed and instead fulfilled their destinies. In Oedipus the King and Minority Report, the heroes rejected their fates because their futures were too tragic and, ultimately, had nothing to lose by attempting to reverse their destinies. In the

All of which has put me far and long from Corinth” (Sophocles 53). To Oedipus, his prophecy was his worst nightmare; the thought of marrying Merope and killing Polybus terrified him. He pursued to escape from his destiny because, in his mind, running away from his parents was the foolproof-plan to avoid his prophecy. Yet, Oedipus met his destiny on the path he took to escape it. The fatal flaw of Oedipus was his incapability to accept his destiny. In the same fashion, the film Minority Report displays John Anderton’s struggle to dodge his prevision: murdering Leo Crow. As the head of the Department of PreCrime, John knew that his consequences of being declared the future murderer of Crow would be getting haloed - a permanent vegetable state where one’s brain is still active.