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

Thy youngest daughter does not love the least, Nor are those empty-hearted whose low sounds Reverb no hollowness. (I.i, ff.152-154)
Lear refuses to see it, perhaps this is justice for his foolish decision. Some critics have gone so far as to say Lear may have had dementia; his fate is not supernatural, but rather the decline of his mind. For example, Adelman read Lear’s rash and changeable nature as a sign of dementia, which accounted for his mood swings, visions and strange behaviour towards his daughters. (Leslie, 1998, pg. 38). It could be argued that Lear’s decisions sped up his fated fall into dementia but that he was fated to fall in the end. When looking at Eve it could be argued that it was her fate to be exiled from the Garden of Eden. God made Eve, and granted her with free will; and as God is an omniscient being, he would surely know that in giving her free will she would do exactly as she did. So this is her fate.
On the other hand, Eve falls from Eden as a result of her decision to pick and eat the forbidden fruit. This was a choice she had been warned against, and a decision she made in free will. It could be argued that God could not control Eve due to her free will, only trust that she would heed his warnings. If so, Eve fell as a result as her free will, not fate. Oedipus used his free will to kill a man. The choice to kill a man only led to fate in Oedipus the king, as that man turned out to be his father. Shakespeare’s King Lear presents a world which has a mixture of Christianity and Greek gods present.
Christianity and Stoicism merge indistinguishably with regard to the harsh necessities of this temporary life and the need for endurance.” … “Polydore Vergil considers that in a world where fortune may be cruelly perverse man must accept his fate with resignation; (Elton, 1988, pg. 104)
As there is no one god to evoke, it could be argued that fate doesn’t have a role in the play, and the final results emerged solely from decisions made in free will. Without a belief in Gods there can be no belief in fate.
In conclusion, I have argued that in King Lear there is a debate over the existence of fate, and that it could be argued both ways. For example, the fate in King Lear could be that Lear was destined to get dementia, or perhaps ‘fate’ is another word for ‘justice’, meaning that in the end, power will be given to those who will not abuse it. Alternatively, a secular atmosphere could mean there is no belief in fate, and so it is not present in the play. In Oedipus the King, fate appears to overrule any decisions of free will, as his decisions only carry Oedipus towards his end fate. Eve could also be argued either way as to the existence of fate. Either God created her knowing she would fall, or Eve fell due to her choice made with free will. In the case of both King Lear and Eve, it appears that free will perhaps leads to a fate. However, Oedipus is the exception to this rule, being totally overruled by his prophecy.


References:
Dodds, E.R., 1966. On Misunderstanding the Oedipus Rex. Greece & Rome, Volume 13 (1), 37-49.
Elton, W.R., 1966. King Lear and the Gods. 1988. Lexington: The Henry E. Huntington Library and Art Gallery. (pg. 104)
Hardison, O.B, Jr., 1975. Myth and History in King Lear. Shakespeare Quarterly, Volume 26 (3), 227-242.
Holy Bible: King James Version, 1991. Glasgow: Harper Collins Publishers limited.
Leslie, M., 1998. Incest, Incorporation, and King Lear in Jane Smiley's A Thousand Acres. College English, Volume 60, (1), 31-50.
Shakespeare, W. 1608. King Lear. 2015. St. Ives: Clays Ltd.
Sophocles, 1962. Oedipus the King. 2008. New York: Oxford University Press.