As one goes through life, hardships are inevitable, but how one faces the hardship determines the outcome of their life. In different religions, a God(s) has a huge impact on one’s life and how one conquers a hardship. In the Greek and Hebrew works, Oedipus and the Book of Genesis, both share a common theme of self-determination and free will presented through the characters Oedipus and Joseph, however, they differ in how they handle their own free will and self-determination which determines their outcomes in life. First, in the story of Joseph, Joseph receives a dream that he will one day rule over his brothers. He takes this dream and uses it in a positive light. One event that presents Joseph free will is when he …show more content…
Oedipus then solves the riddle of the Sphinx, Oedipus is enabled to marry the queen, again, not knowing it is his mother. In this event, Oedipus used his own free will to solve the riddle which allowed the freeing of the citizen of Thebes.” When the prophecy was placed upon him he told his wife Jocasta, and she told him to not worry because her older husband Laius (Oedipus’s father) had a prophecy placed on him that his son will kill him and it never came true. After hearing the information, Oedipus made his own self determination to not follow the Gods and determine his own prophecy his way. Also, he taunted the blind prophet who saw through the eyes of Apollo, Tiresias, because Tiresias informed him that the Prophecy has already came true, but Oedipus argues that it had not. In this event, Oedipus uses his own free will and judgement to not listen to the Gods. Oedipus blames Jocasta brother Creon for his encounter with the Prophecy, because Creon recommended Oedipus to Tiresias to determine the unknown murder man. Next, a Shepard comes to speak to Oedipus to try to relieve him from his Prophecy of killing his father and marrying his mother. He informed Oedipus that Polybus, whom he though was his father has died from natural causes. The shepherd