Abstract
This paper examines how Greek mythology often considered the debate between predestination and free will. It gives the example of how a mythical character's immoral actions would lead to a cleverly derived punishment by the gods, suggesting that free will elicited consequences. Various myths are noted as examples of this. In particular, the paper notes the the three fates, the Moirai, women who hold the destiny of all mankind in their hands and their role in the Oedipus trilogy. The role of fate and predestination is further analyzed in the paper. The paper concludes by stating that if any lesson can be drawn from the treatment of this theme in Greek mythology, it is that the safest option is doing good, which can at least score some points with the fates.

From the Paper
"Called the Moirai, a name that means parts, the three fates assigned each person his or her "share in the scheme of things" (Atsma, 2008, para. 1). Lead by Zeus, whom Atsma (2008) describes as the "god of fate," the three goddesses used a string to show the life of a man or woman. According to Saunders and A (2006), all the good and evil a person did in his or her life was woven into the string to determine his or her fate (para. 3). The goddesses of fate were ugly, old, and knew the future, as well as frequently pictured with signs of "dominion" (Atsma, 2008, para. 4). Each holding specific jobs--spinning, measuring, and cutting that thread--the goddesses determined the consequences of mens' actions. However, Astma (2008) points out that the fates did not necessarily direct a person's life. Instead, they determined the consequences of the actions that people freely undertook. Furthermore, while Zeus could always save someone from receiving his or her fate, the fates were also open to persuasion by humans and other goddesses. In the end, however, it was the fates decision to determine the consequences of a man's actions and other major events in his life, such as when he would die. Thus, the idea of the Morai combined predestination and free will to suggest that a person could choose the actions he or she would take, but was predestined to face the consequences of those choices."

Tags:Oedipus Trilogy, Moirai, Fates, Sophocles

Abstract
This paper discusses the use of Greek mythology to explore and analyze many principles and activities conducted by individuals. The author of the paper draws upon his own life and chooses Oedipus as a relevant figure in the heroic myth to explore a few of his experiences. The paper is written in a reflective style and presents some general insights into the author's personal life.

From the Paper
"Using Greek myth to explore analyze is not abstract nor is it necessarily erudite. In fact, many principles and activities conducted by individuals can be attached to Greek mythology; it's the ignorance of this connection that makes it unique when experiences are explicitly connected with Greek myth.
"My own experiences have been somewhat purposefully with only a few surprises in life, however to be reflective; I have recently found that having explored my personal activities and likened them to Greek mythology, I seem a little enlightened and demystified about some of the processes and activities of life. Nevertheless, this has come at a cost, since our society dictates that there is a certain decorum we should follow, and funnily enough, our thinking process is subject to this travesty. This has stifled creativity and a hunger for individualism; take for example the movies at the cinema, they all seem to tell the very same story, sometimes they don't even change the actors to tell the story."

Tags:heroic, Sphinx, King, Laius

Abstract
This paper explains that a tragic hero, which was created by the ancient Greeks and defined by the philosopher Aristotle, is a hero who is otherwise perfect except for a fatal flaw, that eventually results in his demise. The author points out that the typical tragic hero is a complex and well-developed character, as is Sophocles' "Oedipus the King ", who is a textbook tragic hero that draws out the three responses from the audience--attachment, fear and pity. The paper relates that Oedipus' demise is unlike the demise of other typical heroes, like Hercules or Odysseus, because Oedipus' story does not end with his death but rather with blindness and his expulsion from the human community.

From the Paper
"The complexity of Oedipus' "harmartia" is an important element of his heroism.The Greek term "harmartia" means "tragic flaw." However, the tragic flaw, in Greek mythology, is more of a mistake than an innate flaw. Aristotle stated that all tragic heroes suffer a "harmartia." This human weakness allows the audience to relate to the hero and feel sorry for him. Oedipus' flaw is his lack of knowledge about his own identity. Because he is not responsible for this flaw, the audience feels sorry for him and fears for him because they know there is nothing he can do to change his fate."

Tags:harmartia, fatal-flaw, expulsion, heel, pity

Abstract
This paper discusses how the Oedipus complex was discovered by the Austrian psychiatrist Sigmund Freud who came up with the concept of this complex using the Greek mythology of Oedipus, a Greek hero who unknowingly killed his father and married his mother. The paper also uses the story "My Oedipus Complex" by Frank O'Connor as an example of an application of the complex.

From the Paper
"Sigmund Freud describes the beginnings of Oedipus complex in his book titled: The Interpretation of Dreams. Freud believed that the Oedipus complex starts in a boy's phallic period (at the age of five). This is basically where the little boy discovers his new "best friend". The boy is in the stage of "discovering his body and is aware that the penis is a key element in the privacy of his parents, where he is excluded." (The Oedipus Complex) The phallic phase is the third of Freud's five psychosexual stages. In Larry's case his father returning from the war triggered his Oedipus complex. He compares himself to his father and tries to do the things his father would do and also compete for his mother's love, affection, and attention. This stage in a young boy's life is submerged, and is succeeded by the latency period."

Tags:super-ego, phallic, phase, psychosexual

Abstract
The author states Oedipus is one of the most famous names in Greek mythology. He believes that Oedipus was not an unwitting victim but rather had a clear hand in his own demise. Although the author thinks that one might curse the stars, he finds that the sense of doom ultimately has its origination in the nature of the human character. In this paper the author also explains why he feels that the term 'Oedipus complex' is an inappropriate reading of the play.

From the Paper
"The "back story" the play provides to the opening image is also indicative of Oedipus' arrogance as well. Oedipus' first dialogue with his brother-in-law reveals that the plague has its roots in the murder of the original King of Thebes, Laius. Oedipus reacts with horror to this news. But as the prophet Tiresias later says, "So, / you mock my blindness" Let me tell you this. / You with your previous eyes, you're blind to the corruption of your life, / to the house you live in, those you live with who are your parents" (Lines 468-470)."

Tags:greek, mythology, psychological, complex, tragedy, character, thebes, oracle, apollo, curse, sphinx, king, laius, queen, jocasta, freud, archetypal

Abstract
This paper chooses Oedipus as a relevant figure in the heroic myth concerning the Sphinx to explore a few experiences in the author's life. The paper explains that using Greek myth to explore and analyze is not abstract nor is it necessarily erudite; in fact, many principles and activities conducted by individuals can be attached to Greek mythology. The paper asserts that it is the ignorance of this connection that makes it unique when experiences are explicitly connected with Greek myth.

From the Paper
"Using Greek myth to explore and analyze is not abstract nor is it necessarily erudite. In fact, many principles and activities conducted by individuals can be attached to Greek mythology; it's the ignorance of this connection that makes it unique when experiences are explicitly connected with Greek myth. My own experiences have been somewhat purposefully with only a few surprises in life, however to be reflective; I have recently found that having explored my personal activities and likened them to Greek mythology, I seem a little enlightened and demystified about some of the ..."

Abstract
This paper examines how the timing and place both play a part in the emotions and actions of the characters in Sophocles' "Oedipus the King". It discusses how the story takes place in the Palace of Oedipus and nowhere else and how the whole story also unfolds in just a
few short hours.

From the Paper
"Oedipus spent his whole life believing that he was the son of Polybus and Merope. In only a couple of hours he feels ashamed and shocked when he found out that Polybus and Merope were not his real parents. He then found out that his real father was murdered by none other than Oedipus himself. He then probes more and realized that he was married and was having incestuous relations with his mother. His life story, unfolded, in a matter of hours."

Tags:greek, king, mythology, oedipus, place, plays, sophocles, themes, time

Abstract
This paper discusses the Sophocles' play "Oedipus the King" focusing on three main points-- the relation of humans to the gods, human attitudes toward the predictions of oracles and the degree of control that the gods have over the lives of mortals. It also discusses the relationships the characters have to the gods.

From the Paper
"In conclusion, the influence of the gods on human lives relies on the relation of the gods to humans, the characters' attitudes toward the predictions of the oracle and the gods' control over the lives of humans. The mortals' belief in the power of the gods, the fact that the gods have ultimate power and the fact that the characters believe that they have free will even thought they don't all affect the roles of the gods in Oedipus the King. The gods reveal things when they are ready and, as the chorus says to Oedipus, "time like the sun sees all things and it sees you. You cannot hide from that light" (79)."

Tags:greek, mythology, tragedy, mortals, Appolo, prophecy, demons, truth, eternal, laws

Abstract
This paper examines how we can learn something about the key values of classical Greek society by looking at the "Oedipus" cycle, with its emphasis on honor, personal courage, and fate. It discusses how fate seems to be an especially important idea for the Greeks, an idea that seems, at first ,very different from our own 21st-century notions of freedom. It analyzes how, as we examine Oedipus's, and so, classical Greek, ideals, we may see that there are key connections to our own time and values.

From the Paper
"One of the important things to consider in reading these plays is the nature of prophecy in ancient Greece. We are inclined to understand the prophecies in these plays as having perhaps more weight than they would actually have had in Greece (Myers 9). In fact, while the prophecies were supposed to be divinely inspired, they were also known to be highly symbolic and subject to various interpretations. Laius, like Oedipus, had the option, not perhaps of ignoring the oracles entirely, but at least of listening to them with some caution. They might have chosen to act otherwise, for the oracles were not the direct voices of the gods. Had the gods spoken directly to either of these men and ordered them to act the way that they did, we might say that Sophocles was indeed writing about the ways in which the lives of humans are determined by fate and the futility and naivete of believing in free will."

Tags:fate, honor, courage, mythology, king

Abstract
This paper examines the legends and historical revolution, and characteristics of the Sphinx, ancient Egypt's protector from outsiders. The author discusses how the creature defined Egyptian civilization, how it would terrorize outsiders with her famous riddle, and how she was revered by Egypt as a sacred figure.

From the Paper
"When we think of Egyptian art we immediately think of the monumental pyramids and inscrutable sphinxes, Shaw-Eagle 1999. Ancient Egypt has fascinated outsiders ever since Herodotus, the fifth- century-BC Greek historian, visited a civilization already thousands of years old. And the artistic splendors that captivated him -- the Great Pyramids, Sphinx and statues of the Old Kingdom , 2650 to 2150 BC -- still define Egyptian civilization in the Western mind. A monument for the Sphinx is found at Tanis in the form of the Large Sphinx. Made from pink granite it depicts the Pharaoh with a lion's body. Sphinx in Greek showed a sort of monster, and in Egypt they represented the protection for the passages in religious buildings."

Tags:giza, greek, egypt, ancient, oedipus, riddle, lion, pharaoh, tanis, old, kingdom