Donnie Darko vs. Oedipus Rex Essay

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Pages: 10

Greek tragedies were often seen as the foundation to literature not only for the Greeks but also on a universal scale as well. Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex was one of the more infamous tales because of its provocative and unorthodox nature. The tragedy features a man on a quest to prevent the events of his prophesized life from coming to fruition. The key components of fate, destiny and time can be paralleled to the cult classic film Donnie Darko. In the movie, Donnie suffers from predictions of the future in his own variation of time travel, as a repercussion he has been “chosen” to rectify the past in order to preserve what is to come.
Between the two pieces of text, destiny and fate greatly affect the outcome for both of the
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The bunny in Donnie Darko is one of the more mysterious and downright eerie characters of the film. His true nature and motives are not necessarily clear because even the way that he was manifested is to be questioned. Although it is not confirmed in the movie, it can be said that Donnie suffered from paranoid schizophrenia which was being taken care of through therapy and medication. At one point he stopped taking his pills but as soon as he started again, Frank the bunny appeared. It can be safely assumed that he was a hallucination being brought on by the medicine; as if his inner thoughts were being conveyed subconsciously. There is no rhyme or reason as to why a bunny was chosen, nor why the man was actually Donnie’s sister’s boyfriend Frank. The way that he is shown is as a terrifying and menacing man in a bunny suit. It can be considered an oxymoron of contradictory because the usual perception of bunnies is that of light and fluffy but Frank was actually dark and frightening. One can infer after watching the movie in its entirety that Frank acted as an unofficial guide for Donnie in his Tangent Universe. He was the main catalyst to Donnie’s understanding and acceptance to how crucial his death is to those around him. Also as a result to the deeds that Frank had him commit led to other unintentional consequences. If it wasn’t for the bunny telling him to flood his