Free Will In Oedipus Rex And Cranes

Do human beings have free will over their fate? Many writers express their thoughts reflect upon this concept as it is explored through various works such as “Censors” by Luisa Valenzuela, Oedipus Rex by Sophocles and “Cranes” by Hwang Sun-won. In “Censors,” the protagonist, Juan, is pressured by society to become someone who he does not want to become. In Oedipus Rex, the protagonist, Oedipus, becomes obsessed with finding his identity, which in the end hurts him more than it helps. “Cranes” by Hwang Sun-won is a story about two childhood friends, Song-sam and Tok-chae, that grow apart and encounter each other by chance as enemies. These works present contradictory ideas about free will.

Valenzuela portrays how political pressure limits

He claims that humans are victims of free will. At the beginning of the story, Jocasta, Oedipus’ mother and wife, thinks that she has free will. She sends her newborn son off to be killed because of a divine prediction. By doing this, Jocasta tries to change her fate but ends up fulfilling the prophecy and in the end becoming a victim of her own actions. Oedipus thinks he has control over his fate despite the prophecy that was made when he was born. He runs away from his non-biological parents, with the belief that if he runs away he can avoid the prophecy. Consequently, he fulfills the prophecy by mistake. His fate was set before him many years ago and he does not have the power to change it. Moreover, Oedipus believes that he can save the town as he has done twenty years ago. He say to his uncle Creon, “Then once more I must bring what is dark to light” (Sophocles I, i, l 134). Oedipus literally means that he will bring light to the plague and drive it out, but figuratively it means that Oedipus will bring the truth that he is Jocasta’s son, a secret that has been hidden for twenty years, and King Laius’ murderer out to the light. Oedipus chose to dig down to the roots of the situation but ends up mistakenly destroying his future and blinding himself literally. Oedipus is blinded by his own innocence. According the the legend, he accepts the riddle of the Sphinx and successful answers,

In “The Censors,” and Oedipus Rex, Valenzuela and Sophocles portrays that humans have free will but are victims of it. The believe there is free will but humans will not benefit from it. However, in “Cranes,” Hwang reveal how humans have free will and have the ability to control their own lives. These ideas may be contradictory and may never come to a agreement but they all show a part of human nature and the belief of free will oh people. Thus, writers conclude free will is not merely based upon the facts but also how an individual interprets the meaning of free