Analyse the relationship between fate and free will in King Lear and at least one other tragic narrative on this module

05/01/2018

Analyse the relationship between fate and free will in King Lear and at least one other tragic narrative on this module.
Fate and free will are commonly seen as opposites. Fate consists of events outside of a person’s control (usually as a result of supernatural powers), which in some manner determines the life they experience. Free will, on the other hand, is the ability to act and make decisions without the constraint of fate. Using these ideas, I will discuss the conflicting relationship between fate and free will in Sophocles’ Oedipus the King (1962), and Shakespeare’s King Lear (1972) with reference to the fall of Eve in The Bible.
In King Lear, Shakespeare presents arguments for and against fate, which were reflective of the arguments regarding fate at the time of Shakespeare’s writings. For example, the character of Edmund shows a disbelief in fate:
These late eclipses in the sun and moon portend no good to us: though the wisdom of nature can reason it thus and thus, yet nature finds itself scourged by the subsequent effects (Shakespeare, I.ii, ff. 103-106)
However, once Edmund is discovered for his deceit, he declares: “The wheel is come full circle.” (V, iii, ff.173). This shows that the sceptical become believers once fate puts the power back into the hands of the good, in this case Kent and Albany. Fate plays a role here to put to right the mistakes made with free will. Displaying fate in this way shows a theme of justice shown in the play with reference to Juno and Jupiter. Lear says;
By Jupiter, This shall not be revoked. (I.i, ff. 178-179)
Later on Kent and Lear have an argument in which Lear says: “By Jupiter, I swear no!” to which Kent replies, “By Juno, I swear ay!” (II.iv, ff. 20-21). According to Hardison;
Jupiter and Juno were considered the twin patrons of government. Roughly speaking, Jupiter was associated with the object of government, which is justice, while Juno was associated with the means of government, which are power and wealth. (1975, pg. 232).
Looking at this, fate in King Lear could refer to justice and power being restored to those who will use it wisely. It may be the case that this idea of justice is less superstitious, but rather a common phrase at the time, used merely to express emotion.
Free will results in decisions which lead to a fated fall. Both Oedipus and Eve fall in response to the gaining of knowledge sought with their own free will. Oedipus happily submits to the task given to him that he must find the killer of the previous ruler in order to rid his land of blight. This discovery of knowledge was a choice for Oedipus to make. “Who were my parents? Tell me!” (Sophocles, 1962, 63) If he had been a lesser ruler, and cared less for his people, he may not have sought the knowledge. This choice is free will rather than fate, as the prophecy is still true whether Oedipus knows about it or not. This desire to seek knowledge of his parentage when Tiresias taunts him, is a flaw with his free will as he is proud and aware of his position of power. In comparison to this, Eve choses to eat the forbidden fruit and gain the knowledge it offers, which leads to her fall. She is warned about the risks of eating it and the betrayal it would be, but God gave her free will and she used it to make her choice. “But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.” (King James Bible, Genesis, 3:3). God warned Adam and Eve not to eat the fruit, but it was ultimately up to Eve to make the final decision. In a similar way to Oedipus, Eve falls due to her choice made in free will.
It could be argued that fate ultimately overrules decisions made with free will, as these decisions carry the characters towards their fate. The majority of Oedipus’ life is ruled by fate. On hearing the prophecy that Oedipus would kill his father and marry his mother, his parents cast him out in an attempt to avoid the completion of the prophecy. However this only led to his fulfilling it, demonstrating that you cannot outrun your fate. No matter how the subject of the prophecy acts, the foretold events will always resolve themselves to be true. Looking at fate in this way allows us to see that there may be no free will, only fate. E.R Dodds summarises a view which backs up the idea that Oedipus had no control over his fate.
The oracle was unconditional: it did not say 'If you do so-and-so you will kill your father'; it simply said 'You will kill your father, you will sleep with your mother.' And what an oracle predicts is bound to happen. Oedipus does what he can to evade his destiny: he resolves never to see his supposed parents again. But it is quite certain from the first that his best efforts will be unavailing. (E. R. Dodds, 1966)
Here, it is clear that fate is an overpowering force which disregards any influence from free will, as fate will always resolve in the way it was predicted by the prophecy. King Lear uses his free will to ask which of his daughters “doth love us most,” (Shakespeare, I.i, ff.51). Free will allowed Lear to make the decision to divide his kingdom based on which of his daughters loved him most. However, this was a foolish decision. Kent tries to open Lear’s eyes to his daughter’s lies: