English 10 Final Exam Essay

Watching your mother die in front of you, finding out your parents wanted to get rid of you, and traveling through the depths of Hell is enough to break down a man. These obstacles are just some of the things the characters I chose had to go through. Being able to put up with this shows how courageous and strong willed they are.

Oedipus Rex, written by Sophocles, features a prince born in the city of Thebes who was unwanted by his parents, King Laius and Queen Jocasta. They give baby Oedipus to a servant who then gave the baby to a shepherd who gave him to the royal family of Corinth. One night a drunken man told Oedipus that he is not the true son of his father. Frightened, Oedipus confronted the oracle of Delphi who prophesized that he would kill his father and marry his mother. He flees away from Corinth believing he was safe from the prophecy. He later becomes the king of Thebes by solving the riddle of the Sphinx and forcing it into exile. Oedipus marries the queen of Thebes, Jocasta, and has two daughters. Everything seemed to be going fine until a deathly plague falls upon the city, and the only way to lift it is to find the murderer of the original king. After much investigating, he discovers the truth: it was him. He also finds out that the same prophecy he tried to escape became true. Jocasta committed suicide and Oedipus stabbed his eyes out with golden pins so that he wouldn’t be able to see the mess he created. The moral of this play is that you cant escape fate; some things are just meant happen.

Another character worth mentioning is Dante from The Divine Comedy, written by Dante Aligheri. Dante and Beatrice are separated in the after life. As Dante lingers in the depths of Hell, Beatrice sits in Paradise waiting for Dante's return. In Hell, Dante confronts monsters, old friends, enemies, and he even sees Lucifer. He also faints many times throughout the dangerous journey through Hell's terrain. Soon after he climbs Lucifer he emerges and gazes upon the stars, realizing he ended up on the opposite side of the earth. The moral of this comedy is that all actions do have consequences, and