Oedipus the King by Sophocles King Lear by William Shakespeare - Essay Example

Some certain codes or principles govern the world and its people. These principles have different terms such as ethics or laws that govern the land. Due to the applicability of search codes, people take time to reexamine themselves or the world. It is only after reading the writing of great minds such as William Shakespeare and Sophocles that one can understand the need to renew or reexamine their ideas about themselves and the world.

From the two readings, I have realized that law is not paramount and it is not a guarantee for justice. Society or people always search for misfortunes affecting them outside the society without realizing that what affects their well-being is contained within the society. People often complain without noticing that they are the source of the problems that affect them. Oedipus the king, Oedipus was running away from a prophecy without knowing that he would fulfill the prophecy in his hideout.

Oedipus also spent his life searching for the murderer of his father without realizing that he was indeed the murderer of his father. According to Sophocles (2005), “Oedipus tries to figure out how he would have killed his father and married his mother.” He seems disturbed by the old man’s claim, that he would be his father’s murderer. At the end of the play, Oedipus comes to realize that he had killed his father and married his mother unknowingly. Similarly, King Lear was searching for the cause of his misfortune from his rival empires without realizing that his actions were the cause of his misfortunes. 

This play illustrates how society uses the law to justify its own mistakes while it accuses another party of its misfortunes. Our destiny or the factor that controls one’s destiny is the second reason that made me reexamine ideas about the world and my beliefs. King Lear had plans for his three daughters according to his wish and desires (Shakespeare, 1723). However, his wishes were based on his wealth or material possession. Although he loved his daughters Goneril and Regan more than he loved Cordelia, their destinies were not bound to his wishes or wealth distribution.

On the other hand, Oedipus believed that although god gives people the ability to make choices, they are bound by a predetermined outcome (Shakespeare, 1723). From the two readings, I realized that we have little control over our destiny. Show how at least two works deal with Man’s relationship to God/the gods. The Inferno" by Dante Alighieri People have varied relationships with god or their gods according to their beliefs. The poem Inferno by Dante illustrates a form of relationship with god that is common with people across different societies.

According to Dante, life is a journey that leads a person to either hell or heaven. Dante believes that at thirty years of age he has attained half of the biblical life expectancy. He is therefore determined to change his lifestyle to escape hell’s inferno. Dante’s works illustrate the relationship that people have with their god. People consider god as an authority figure or a judge. They expect him to judge them according to their deeds and reward them accordingly.

The reward for good deeds is endless happiness while the reward for sinful life is endless suffering. According to the poem, when Dante passed through the ninth gate of hell he noticed the inscription “abandon all hope, ye who enter here” (Alighieri, 2009). From her interpretation, a hell is a place of hopelessness and every person should strive to ensure that he or she evades hell. The relationship that people have with god defines a misleading nature of god. The poem reveals that people have a misconception about the nature of god that prevents them from observing the rightful side of life.

According to the life of the narrator, people waste their lives trying to correct their situation with God instead of establishing their relationship with their creator. It would be wise if people considered God as a father or a mentor instead of viewing him as a judge or a form of authority.