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Fate has always been a lasting theme in tragedy, which is powerful and mistery. This paper aims at discussing the unique view on fate of Grecians and its evolution, thus readers can have a clearer understanding of fate, and they may make wiser decisions in their daily life and lead a happier life.
II. Representative Works of Three Tragic Poets
2.1 Aeschylus’s Prometheus Bound
Aeschylus was often regarded as the “father of Greek tragedy”. Prometheus Bound is his tragedy focusing on the reaction of a proud god Prometheus to the punishment imposed on him by the king of gods for his disobey. And he stole fire and gave it to man. As punishment, Zeus had Prometheus chained to the rocks of a desolate mountain wilderness. He believed in justice and never gave into power.
In the gorge of a mountain near the Black Sea, Might and Force lead a shackled prisoner Prometheus. And he remains silent while Might heaps abuse on him. While the black smith god Hephaestus is reluctant to chain a fellow god to such a desolate place. Yet he had to obey Zeus, the king of gods. The captors leave him alone and the titan laments his fate. Oceanids enter the scene, acting as chorus and comforts him. Blessed with a gift of foresight, he knows a plot to overthrow Zeus. But he says to them he will not disclose it unless Zeus frees him first. And Prometheus believed Zeus can overcome his “implacable wrath”. Then Oceanids ask him how he incurred Zeus’ wrath. He says he knew he violates the will of Zeus by helping human, who are ignored and despised by Zeus. He instills hope in their hearts, teaches them the skills of survival and gave them fire to develop civilization. However, he did not expect such an excessive punishment. Then,Oceanus ,the father of Oceanids arrives and advises him to make an appeasement with Zeus by containing anger. He refuses.
Then Io appears in the form of a cow. Being a consort of Zeus, she is envied by his wife Hera. She begs Prometheus to tell her future. However, the Oceanids ask her to tell her tale of woe first. She says, she was to send forth to wander the earth by his father according to the oracle at Delphi. And she is doomed to roam from land to land. Following her everywhere was the ghost of the giant, as well as the relentless gadfly. And he told her one day Zeus would fall down and he would be set free.
2.2 Sophocles’s Oedipus Rex
Sophocles was most likely born a few years before the Battle of Marathon. Oedipus Rex is generally regarded as his most representative work, and Aristotle considered it a perfect tragedy. This tragedy talks about fatalism, no matter how innocent Oedipus was, he could not escape the evil hand of fate. And he could not find peace until years of suffering. Fate is unfair and evil to him. Perhaps we feel sad and confused and can’t help keep asking why. But we know clearly that nobody can give us a satisfactory answer, nobody can tell what we wonder about. We are powerless facing evil and powerful fate, just like the puppet control by another hand. However, to be a noble and wise man is his pursuit and he never give it up. So he struggles hard to avoid the oracle and make sacrifice to bring peace to the people he loves. That is how I feel when I had read the story about him, and I want to retell it here, so we can know about him.
Oedipus, the main character, is the son of King Laius and Queen Jocasta of Thebes. Laius once lost his kingdom and took refuge with Pelops, but he carried off his host’s son. The oracle of Delphi predicts that Laius is doomed to be killed by his own son to punish him for his ingratitude. Later he recovered his kingdom and married Jocasta. After the birth of Oedipus, Laius decided to kill his infant son. He ordered the baby taken to a mountain and left to die. However, A shepherd rescued him and named him Oedipus, meaning “swollen-foot”, since when he was found, his feet had been bound and pierced together. Not having means to raise the little child, the shepherd gave the baby to a fellow shepherd from a distant land. The second shepherd brought him to Polybus, King of Corinth. Polybus, having on children, adopted the boy and raised him as if Oedipus were his own.