Fate versus free will in literature
The debate between fate and free will is a longstanding philosophical inquiry prominently featured in literature across cultures and eras. This theme questions the extent of human control over destiny: are our choices meaningful in shaping our future, or are we bound by a predetermined path? Ancient Greek mythology presents the concept of fate through figures like the Moirai, who symbolize the inescapable threads of destiny woven into human lives. Notable literary works, such as Sophocles' tragedy *Oedipus Rex*, illustrate how attempts to evade fate can ironically lead to its fulfillment, highlighting the tension between free will and predetermined destiny.
Throughout history, various philosophical perspectives have emerged on this issue. For instance, Plato posited that reason could enable individuals to break free from cosmic constraints, while St. Augustine acknowledged human free will within the context of divine omniscience. Meanwhile, Shakespeare's *Macbeth* showcases characters who, driven by prophecy, act on their perceived free will, unwittingly crafting their own downfalls. Similarly, modern narratives like Ted Chiang's *Story of Your Life* explore the implications of non-linear time perception on the concept of choice, prompting a deeper reflection on the nature of fate and free will. Collectively, these works invite readers to ponder their own beliefs about destiny and the impact of their choices.
Fate versus free will in literature
The concept of fate vs. free will is a complex philosophical question about how much control human beings truly have over their lives. Do the decisions we make affect our future, or is that path already laid out before us, and no matter what choices we make, are we fated to reach a predetermined goal? This question has been the subject of philosophical and religious debate for centuries and has also been incorporated as a major theme in numerous works of literature. The idea of fate vs. free will was central to stories from Ancient Greece to Medieval England to the modern era. Among the most notable are the Greek tragedy Oedipus Rex, William Shakespeare’sMacbeth, and the Old English classic Beowulf.
Background
The philosophical struggle between fate and free will has been around for thousands of years and can be traced at least as far back as the Ancient Greeks. The philosopher Plato believed that the substance that formed the universe could be found in unchangeable ethereal “forms” that act as a template for their representation on Earth. For example, a cat or a tree are just representations of the cosmic forms of a cat, tree, etc. Plato believed earthly existence was imperfect and changeable but was tied to the permanence of the cosmic forms. He theorized that only through reason and wisdom could a person break from the fate predestined by the universal forms and create their own free will.
The early Christian philosopher St. Augustine of Hippo wrote about the dilemma of free will at a time when Christians believed everything that happened in their lives was part of God’s unassailable plan. Yet, if that were the case, evil could only exist because God allowed it. Augustine believed that humans have free will, but if they misuse it and deviate from God’s plan, they bring evil into the world. True free will can only be achieved by using the human intellect to choose the moral path through life.
The sixteenth-century Protestant reformer John Calvin fundamentally rejected any notion of free will, believing that God had predetermined which souls would achieve salvation and which would be damned to eternal punishment long before a person was born. Calvin believed that people had some free will, but the choices they made by exercising this free will reflected their basic nature and their ultimate fate.
Overview
The idea that the path of a person’s life was set in place even before they were born was a key part of Ancient Greek mythology. To the Greeks, human destiny was controlled by the Moirai, also called the Fates, three goddesses who wove the thread of a person’s life. Clotho was the “spinner” who spun the thread; Lachesis was the “apportioner” who measured the thread; and Atropos, the “inflexible,” cut the thread. The thread represented a human life that was spun to a predetermined length before being cut. In many myths, the Moirai’s decisions were absolute, and even the gods could not change their determination. For example, in Homer’sThe Iliad, Zeus’s son Sarpedon, who is fighting on behalf of the Trojans, is about to face off with the Greek warrior Patroclus. Zeus knows Sarpedon is fated to lose the battle, and while he debates aiding him, he knows he cannot, and must ultimately watch him die.
Oedipus Rex
One of the best-known literary examples of fate vs. free will is found in the Greek tragedy Oedipus Rex (Oedipus the King), written by the playwright Sophocles in the fifth century BCE. In the play, King Laius and Queen Jocasta of Thebes hear a prophecy that their newborn son will grow to kill his father. They order the child to be abandoned, but the boy ends up adopted by the king and queen of Corinth and named Oedipus. When Oedipus is grown, he hears a prophecy that he is destined to kill his father and marry his mother. He flees Corinth to ensure that the prophecy cannot be fulfilled.
On the road near Thebes, Oedipus gets into an argument with an old man at a crossroads and accidentally kills the man in a scuffle. After saving the city of Thebes from a curse, Oedipus is named king and marries Queen Jocasta, whose husband has recently been killed by bandits. It is later that Oedipus realizes the horrible truth. Laius and Jocasta are his true parents, and the man he killed at the crossroads was Laius. He has fulfilled the prophecy, killing his father and marrying his mother.
In Oedipus Rex, the act of trying to avoid one’s fate is the very instrument that causes the prophecy to come true. Laius, Jocasta, and Oedipus all believe they are exercising free will to avoid their fates, but, in the end, they cannot escape destiny, no matter how hard they try.
Beowulf
In the Old English epic poem Beowulf, which was written as early as the seventh century, the titular hero hears of a monster named Grendel attacking the land of King Hrothgar in Denmark. Beowulf travels to Denmark to take on the beast, believing he is fated to win the battle because it is “God’s will.” Because of this confidence, he battles Grendel without weapons or armor and manages to mortally wound him by tearing off the creature’s arm. In the ensuing battle against Grendel’s mother, Beowulf is again victorious, claiming that he would not have won if “God had not guarded me.”
At the story’s end, an older Beowulf is now the ruler of his people, the Geats, who are being threatened by a vicious dragon. Beowulf rides out to meet the dragon but has a premonition of his own death and realizes that he has lost the protection of fate. Despite this realization, he boastfully calls upon the dragon to fight him alone in single combat. During the battle, Beowulf’s sword snaps and breaks, a symbol that fate has abandoned him. Beowulf manages to kill the dragon but is fatally wounded in the battle.
Macbeth
In William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, which was first performed in the early 1600s, Macbeth is a Scottish general who comes across three witches as he returns home from a battle. The witches prophesize that Macbeth will be raised to the rank of noble and eventually become king of Scotland. Although skeptical at first, Macbeth soon hears that he has been made a Scottish noble, leaving him wondering about the second part of the prophecy.
When Macbeth tells his wife, Lady Macbeth, she sees the kingship as his destiny, and pushes her husband to murder the king and claim the crown. Macbeth kills the king and becomes king himself, but he is consumed by jealousy and paranoia. He returns to the witches, who tell him that he will remain king until a forest called Birnam Wood comes to his castle. They also tell him that he cannot be killed by any man born from a woman.
Emboldened by the prophecy, Macbeth begins a reign of terror that only incites his enemies to band against him. Led by Macduff, whose family Macbeth murdered, the host arrives at Macbeth’s castle using shields cut from the trees of Birnam Wood. With one part of the prophecy fulfilled, Macbeth continues to believe he’s invincible because of the prophecy’s second part. As he faces Macduff on the battlefield, it is revealed that Macduff was not “born from woman” but was born via cesarean section. Macduff kills Macbeth and beheads him.
Similar to Oedipus Rex, Macbeth’s actions bring about his ultimate fate. He and his wife hear the promise of kingship and believe it is predestined for them, but in their actions, they sow the seeds for their ultimate downfall. The free will they believe they have is nothing more than the workings of fate following its inevitable path.
Other Works
In Candide, a satire written by French novelist Voltaire in 1759, the main character, Candide, is an unbridled optimist who believes that everything that happens in the world happens for a good reason. His optimism is described as toxic because it governs his every action, preventing him from stopping negative events on the basis of “that’s the way it was meant to be.” In one case, a man jumps from a ship to save a drowning man but begins to drown himself. Candide can save the man, but chooses not to, believing that it is fate that the man drowns in that harbor.
The 1998 science fiction novella, Story of Your Life, by Ted Chiang, follows a linguist who is called in to decipher the language of aliens who have recently arrived on Earth. As she begins to translate their language, she has what she thinks are visions of the birth of her daughter along with her daughter’s later death from illness. The linguist comes to realize that these are not “visions,” but that the aliens perceive time in a non-linear fashion, meaning she is also experiencing the past, present, and future at the same time. This knowledge makes her question if she has any free will. If she experiences a future that hasn’t happened yet, what can she do to change it? She decides that the knowledge gives her a sense of obligation to make that future come to pass, even knowing the pain that awaits at the end. The novella was later adapted as the 2016 sci-fi film Arrival.
Bibliography
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