Humans go through life fearing what struggles they may face, instead of taking control over their problems. In Mythology by Edith Hamilton, the Greek warriors took control over every struggle that came before them. Oedipus did his best to avoid his fate. Achilles knew the prophecy that was put in place for him. Odysseus’s biggest struggle would be his journey home.
Hercules’s greatest task would be not letting his strength get the best of him. In Greek mythology, the journeys represented the internal struggles and eventual perseverance of mortals. Oedipus began his life ignorant to the gravity of his own reality. His childhood was easy as the son of King Polybus, until he learned about Apollo ‘s prophecy. To avoid his fate, Oedipus left Corinth with no clue as to where he would go. On the road to Thebes, he was confronted by his father who savagely attacked him, and in self-defense ended up killing his own father without even knowing it.
His lonely wanderings led him to Thebes, which was besieged by the sphinx. “He was a homeless friendless man to whom life meant little and he determined to seek the sphinx out and try to solve the riddle.” (Hamilton 378). By solving the riddle, Oedipus became King and married the queen, ignorant to the fact that she was his mother. With Oedipus sons reaching adulthood, a plague fell upon Thebes, leaving very few survivors. To end the plague, Oedipus consulted the oracle at Delphi, determined to seek the killer of Laius.
When Tiresias told him that he was the murderer, Oedipus exiled him away as a madman. Jocasta ‘s explanation about Laius ‘s death caused him doubt and the news that he was not the son of Polybus astonished him. Oedipus ‘s hunger for the truth pushed him onward until the reality o. .k god, in an effort to seek vengeance for the murder of King Eurystheus’s son, punished Hercules by turning him into a slave. When Hercules learned of Deianira’s death, life was too much for him so he took his own.
“Since death would not come to him, he would go to death” (Hamilton-243). In the end, each warrior took control over each and every struggle that came before him, but not every soldier would make it out alive. Oedipus could not avoid his fate no matter what he did. Achilles killed Hector knowing that it would lead to his own death. Odysseus struggled for 20 years to return home to his family. Hercules took his own life because he could not deal with destroying anyone else’s after the death of Deianira.
Each warrior knew their fate, but chose to keep fighting. Some took control over their struggles, but some could not escape what was planned for them.
