Revenge…Not So Satisfying

Shakespeare’s Hamlet describes a man who seeks revenge on his uncle. His Uncle, King Claudius, kills Hamlet’s father in hopes of taking over the throne. Hamlet is haunted by his father’s ghost, who reveals to him that his brother, Claudius, was his murderer. Hamlet is torn between the idea that the spirit who appears to him is the ghost of his father and the possibility that it may be an evil spirit trying to deceive him. Hamlet has a hard time coping with the fact that his father’s brother may have been the cause of his death. He decides that he will arrange for a play to be performed in front of his uncle which reinacts the killing of his father by Claudius. If Claudius’s expression reveals a sense of guilt and understanding, Hamlet would know that his uncle was the true killer of his father and he must take action. However, whenever he comes across the opportunity to take revenge on his uncle, he makes up some sort of excuse as to why that time is not right. At one point, he sees that his uncle is praying and does not want to kill him then because his sins would be forgiven and he would go straight to Heaven.

This constant worrying about taking revenge on his uncle takes a serious toll on Hamlet’s physical and mental state. The idea of revenge begins to eat him alive and he is unable to focus his attention on anything else. Hamlet eventually loses track of his desire to take revenge on his uncle and ends up harming innocent people (for instance, Polonius, who he kills by blindly stabbing behind a bed curtain).

Hamlet’s display of being eaten alive by a desire for revenge can serve as an example to all people. When trying to get back at others by hurting them, you end up simply hurting yourself. For example, in fights, there is a decided “winner.” But in the end, through fighting, both people have gotten hurt, no matter who the “winner” is.  Taking revenge makes you just as bad as the original offender.

 

 

“In taking revenge, a man is but even with his enemy; but in passing it over, he is superior.” – Francis Bacon

Fate

     Oedipus the King is a story about a man who fails at trying to escape his fate. When he learns of what the gods have prophesized for him, he does all he can think to do to ensure his doom does not come true- he runs away. His oracle states that he will kill his father and marry his mother. He leaves his home of Corinth to make sure he will never fulfill his prophecy, scared of what the gods might have him do despite knowing he would never intentionally kill his father or marry his mother. He kills a man who drives him off the road on the way to Thebes. Upon arriving, he solves the riddle of the Sphinx and is made king, marrying the old king, Laius’s, wife, Jocasta.

     What Oedipus didn’t know is his parents in Corinth were not actually his parents. He was born in Thebes to Laius and Jocasta. When they heard about his oracle, they had Oedipus strapped to the top of a mountain. They hoped he would die there, and in turn not fulfill the prophecy. But Oedipus was saved and eventually brought to Corinth. There, Polybus and Merope raise him as their own. It turns out the man Oedipus killed on his way to Thebes was King Laius and Jocasta was his mother. In trying to escape his fate, he ended up doing exactly what the gods had planned.

     Is fate real? In today’s society, some people believe in fate. Others like to believe their life is totally under their control. If you want to change the way you live your life, change it. Some believe no higher power has any control. This is quite the opposite of what the ancient Greeks believed. They thought the gods had absolute power over everyone’s lives. They could do anything in their power to make someone fulfill their fate, like in Oedipus the King.

     In some ways, believing in fate may be a good thing. Today, some may think that if they are born into low economic status, it is their fate and they are doomed to be poor and unsuccessful their whole lives. Still, others might choose to take their background and be determined to change it. If we choose to challenge fate and take our lives into our own hands, good things could happen.

     German film Lola Rennt (meaning “Run, Lola, Run”) involves this very idea of fate. The main character, Lola, re-lives a certain situation three times until her and her boyfriend, Manni, end up out of harm’s way. Each time, she only does one little thing differently but ends up in a totally different situation. One time she gets shot and the second time her boyfriend gets hit by a car, but the third time she ends up winning a lot of money and both her and Manni end up safe. It is hard to believe spending an extra ten seconds talking to someone can have a dramatic effect on your life, but the truth is, everything in the world is connected, and your actions have effects on everyone around you.

     Drivers specifically can often relate to this. When passing an accident, it is weird to think, “If I had left the house thirty seconds earlier, that could’ve been me.” I recall a 9-11 documentary in which someone said as she was about to leave for work at the World Trade Center, she spilled something on her outfit and had to change. If that one quick event hadn’t happened, she might not still be alive today.

"Sometimes the slightest things change the directions of our lives, the merest breath of a circumstance, a random moment that connects like a meteorite striking the earth. Lives have swiveled and changed direction on the strength of a chance remark." - Bryce Courtenay

 

 

To Blend or Be an Individual…that is the question

In today’s society, people are constantly pressured into fitting into a certain mold. Millions of kinds of pressure exist: pressure to have the latest electronic device, to own the most popular clothing brands, to have the most perfect skin or hair. Without even noticing, we change the way we are everyday based on influences from the media, from stores, and from the people around us.

Individualism versus Collectivism. A battle as old as time. Young people especially struggle to remain true to themselves. One may try to change his or her attitude in order to make friends or fit in with a certain clique or social group. Some might even try to change their appearances or the way they dress to be “acceptable” or “cool” to certain groups. One might begin to act differently online to get the most Facebook “likes” or Twitter “retweets.” I have even noticed myself falling into this trap in that I have almost bought something and then realized “I don’t even like this, I was just going to buy it because everyone else is wearing it.” You should never be fake in order to fit in with a crowd. The truth is, if someone doesn’t accept you for who you really are, they are not worth your time. You should never have to change the way you are inside to “be cool” to others.

In Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead, a plot involving the Individualism versus Collectivism conflict unfolds. Two prominent characters, Peter Keating and Howard Roark, serve as foils to each other that represent each end of the spectrum. The two men attend the same architecture university, but Keating graduates in the top of his class while Roark is expelled just days before graduation. Keating goes on to become the most famous architect in America as “designer” of the Cosmo-Slotnick building, but strays from his personal vision in order to make the most money and please others. Roark does not find success, but he is full of self-worth because he stays true to his vision and does not change his beliefs in terms of architecture in order to please others. In this same way, sometimes in life we must choose if we want to change who we are and risk being unhappy in order to be accepted by others or ignore the doubters and be true to who we are.

 

“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind.” ― Bernard M. Baruch