Fate in "Job" and "Oedipus Rex"

Paper Summary:

Classical literature is filled with stories of capricious deities playing with human lives as if they were only pawns and the Greek tradition of tragedy is based upon celebrating this very aspect of the nature of the pantheon of Greek gods. This paper examines how Sophocles finds a perfect example of this celebration of fate, in the tragedy "Oedipus Rex". In comparison, it looks at how the story of Job uses the dramatic tension of a "wager" between God and Satan on the sincerity of Job's devotion to God. It shows that where Oedipus' life is bound up by fated situations and their fated outcomes, Job's story is one of choice in the midst of supernaturally imposed difficulties. While both strive to teach resignation to the will of God, they each espouse quite different attitudes in resignation.

From the Paper:

"In Oedipus Rex, Sophocles presents a view of life fixed by fate. This fate, predetermined by the gods, is the sole factor in deciding human destiny. Tiresias expresses his understanding of the unchangeable fate of Oedipus, laid out by the gods, as he argues with the King about revealing the truth of all the Theban troubles. When Oedipus, frustrated by the lack of cooperation, insults Tiresias, he responds "I pity you, flinging at me the very insults / each man here will fling at you so soon."(p 628) An interesting and important aspect of this Greek notion of fate is the utter helplessness of the human players. No matter the choice made by the people involved in this tragedy, the gods have determined it and it is going to come to pass."

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