The Omnipotence of Fate in the Literary Canon
What characterizes the concept of fate? How do liturgical, literary and artistic creations deal with its presence? Alongside technological, scientific and artistic developments come different perceptions of mankind's own raison-d'être and the status of his existence. The thought of a master puppeteer controlling each and every fibre of human life, has entranced man since the incipience of civilization. We have never looked back as our fascination and intoxication continues to amplify with the ebbing tune of fate's every chord. The potent motor that churns, producing our thoughts and reasons for making the decisions that bring us through to our final destination, is the basis of our fates. Literature and art spanning centuries; from Shakespeare's renowned tragedies King Lear, and Macbeth, to Ivan Turgenev's masterpiece Fathers and Sons, to the contemporary lyrical compositions of The Dave Mathews Band, are redolent of man's vision of life's purpose, shifting, while still echoing the tenets of fatalism's doctrine. The belief and fear in the presence of witches, ghosts, hexes, and other elements of the supernatural is rife during Elizabethan England. The putative notion of a perceptible relationship between the macrocosm of t
Fate has always had an inexorable presence in human affairs as expressed by art and literature's continuous portrayal of an evolving notion of destiny and providence. Our contemporary age of innovation and technology could offer no greater contrast to the medieval Scotland of Macbeth or the pre-Revolutionary Russia of Fathers and Sons. In spite of these strikingly anomalous settings, there is a constant force staunchly present. The force of fate is eternally present in the lives of men; shaping their destiny and in some way conducting the rhythm of their lives. The human pulse seems to beat in a synchronized duet with destiny. The steadiness and togetherness of destiny's duet is what shapes the outcome of our lives. Regardless of political, social, or philosophical beliefs and practices present throughout the annals of history, fate's grip is unremitting. "It seems to me most strange that men should fear,/ Seeing that death, a necessary end,/ Will come when it will come" (Julius Caesar:II.ii.35) Life is meant to be lived, "whatever will be will be", so live life to its utmost, and never look back. Bazarov, the classic literary nihilist of Ivan Turgenev's novel Fathers and Sons, is a vehement iconoclast. The protagonist and his companion Arcady, whom he corrupts and manipulates with his coercive beliefs, cast a disdainful eye towards everything from religion to all pre-existing philosophy. They embrace the existence of nothing but the philosophy of emptiness, and live life as stoics devoid of true emotion. Fateful irony draws the young man towards romance and introduces him to sensual feelings of love and passion. However, the decrepitude of Bazarov's disposition manifests itself. His sweet elation while infatuated with Anna Sergeyevna Odintzov turns to sour melancholy, as he is rebuffed by his cold hearted enchantress. His rekindled interest in love and life gradually wane and he turns to apathy, choosing to live an isolated sedentary life in provincial Russia. Bazarov the idealistic young man is punished and tortured by his nihilist values, and ends up dying the pathetic life of a man who embraces nothing and thus has no reason for living. In characters that preach nothing, and object to everything from religion to romance to institutions, the one force that remains with unwavering vigor
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Approximate Word count = 1562
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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