Reflection of the 1st Semester
Iago. Othello. Pangloss. These are just a few of the fascinating characters that have caught my interest. After all of the literature we read, I felt there were many characters that contributed to the differentiation from other narratives, opening my mind to new interpretations, such as themes that could be connected or complexities that could be narrowed down. Over this semester, the themes of fate/free will, the philosophy of optimism vs. realism, and the complexities of human behavior were topics that I had the opportunity to explore more in depth and deepen my critical thinking. A theme that was central to the part of Oedipus was fate vs. free will. Exploring whether the tragedy was caused by fate or free will really interested me because I came to realize at some point that Oedipus’s fate could have been preventable, even if “fate was uncontrollable.” For example, if Oedipus had chosen to refuse to kill anyone during his lifetime, how could he have...