Fate, Life and Wisdom in "Oedipus Rex" and 'Siddhartha" Comparison Essay by Nicky
A comparative analysis of the theme of fate in Sophocles' "Oedipus Rex" and Hermann Hesse's "Siddhartha".
# 151249
| 3,985 words
| 2 sources
| APA
| 2012
| 
Published
on May 30, 2012
in
Literature
(Greek and Roman)
, Literature
(Comparative Literature)
, Literature
(German)
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Description:
The paper examines how for Oedipus and Siddhartha alike, title figures of Sophocles' "Oedipus Rex" and Hermann Hesse's "Siddhartha", fate is something which may not be seen, but is nonetheless inescapable. The paper explores the events which turn their lives and how they render both Oedipus and Siddhartha as important reflections of human pride, spirituality and wisdom, and illustrate the sway of inevitability as real and pressing. The paper notes differences between these two works, but asserts that together, they reveal a connection between fate and wisdom which suggests human life to be predetermined by innumerable unforeseen circumstances.
From the Paper:
"Oedipus, for one, is shown to the reader as inexorably moving toward a horrible end that is already well known to us. The fate of the tragic Greek hero is almost always a product of ironic justice. The character is a hero because of his devotion to do right, live ethically and embody the exemplar standards of his polytheistic culture. But his tragedy is usually wrought of an inescapable fate and a suppressed flaw. Oedipus the King is perhaps the most notorious victim of irony, suffering a fate unthinkable and, superficially, ordained through no fault of his own. The case of Oedipus, however, is troubling because its irony seems at first to be in no way a corollary to justice. In fact, it seems pretty fair to argue that Oedipus was aggressively mistreated by fate. Left for dead as a baby and dealt the cruel prophecy of his future on the threshold of manhood, Oedipus was both destined to be a king and destined to make a terrible fall from grace. But in the denouement of Oedipus the King, the first installment in Greek tragedian Sophocles' The Oedipus Cycle, believed to have been composed during the 5th Century B.C., nobody is harsher in doling out the penalties of transgression than Oedipus himself. "Sample of Sources Used:
- Hesse, Herman. (1922). Siddhartha. Courier-Dover Publications.
- Sophocles. (500 BC?) Oedipus Rex. The Internet Classics Archive.
Cite this Comparison Essay:
APA Format
Fate, Life and Wisdom in "Oedipus Rex" and 'Siddhartha" (2012, May 30)
Retrieved May 28, 2023, from https://www.academon.com/comparison-essay/fate-life-and-wisdom-in-oedipus-rex-and-siddhartha-151249/
MLA Format
"Fate, Life and Wisdom in "Oedipus Rex" and 'Siddhartha"" 30 May 2012.
Web. 28 May. 2023. <https://www.academon.com/comparison-essay/fate-life-and-wisdom-in-oedipus-rex-and-siddhartha-151249/>