Oedipus the King, Candide, Macbeth, The Cherry Orchard and the Metamorphosis all have an obvious recurring theme; destiny versus free will. In Oedipus Rex, Oedipus tries to overcome his destiny. He leaves home and travels because he is afraid of the prophecy made about him. Despite this, in the case of Oedipus, his fate was inevitable. Candide defies his fate. He is destined to be separated from Cunégonde, but he continues to try and try to be with her. Candide goes through many obstacles, learns about life and, in the end, he learns that he must accept what life throws at him and "cultivate his garden". Macbeth believes that fate is on his side. When he hears about his prophecy, he immediately believes that nothing can harm him, that he will remain king and that his children will inherit the throne. But from the witches' point of view, Macbeth's crimes and misfortunes were destined to happen and nothing could change them. In The Cherry Orchard, we can deduce that Lyubov's destiny was always to lose the Cherry Orchard. It is also debatable that if enough measures had been taken, Lyubov could have kept the orchard. Finally, in The Metamorphosis, Kafka attempts to argue that human free will ultimately dehumanizes people. The overall picture is that although all of these books were written in different times and with different ideals, they all have the same ambivalence about fate and free will. And even today, this ambivalence remains. People don't know if we have free will or if all our actions are part of a predetermined plan. So why is it that throughout history and the present, the debate between fate and free will remains? It is difficult to believe in predetermined destiny because everyone has a different outlook on life. One ...... middle of paper ......the in others it's terrible. One of the main reasons humans have mixed feelings towards fate and free will is that although some people want to blame something/someone else for their misfortune or bad actions, others admit that their actions are their fault and no one else's. Another way to look at it is that people who believe in free will are afraid to admit that they cannot escape their destiny, that their lives are destined to turn out a certain way, no matter what they do. do, and that's a scary thought. I like to think I have free will. At WMS, we may have rules and regulations, but it's our choice whether we follow them or not. Of course, if we do not respect them, there will be consequences. Just because we have free will doesn't mean we can do whatever we want without consequences. Free will comes with responsibility and I know I am ready to take on this duty..