“As we move through life, the force of destiny creates events that we appreciate only when we reflect on our existence.” In the 1988 novel, "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho echoes the sentiment of this statement, through the reform of characterization shown in the tragic 5th century Aristotelian work, "Antigone". Both composers explore the moralistic feats of accepting fate as a means in one's life and achieving one's destiny. However, Coelho reverses Sophocles' initial characterization of Antigone, with which he pushes his authorial intent, synthesizing a stronger connection with contemporary audiences, making the manifestation powerful and long-lasting as the context, values ​​and traditions evolve over time . Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The conceptual motivation of destiny as a drive in life is shown through an individual's moral capacity to achieve one's purpose. Antigone's hamartia centers on her acceptance of fate, with the embrace of death as the final decision. Throughout the play, Antigone was depicted as following natural law to bury Polyneices and go against Creon's decree. Antigone’s reception of her fate is described through parallelism within her statement of “And if I must die for this pure crime, I am content, for I will rest beside him; His love will respond to mine." mirrors that of Paul Collette's only attempt to rise up against the neo-Nazi dictatorship that conquered France during the 20th century, until his attempt was futile. This crystallizes Antigone's dedication towards fulfilling her destiny despite her knowledge of the consequences of her actions. Through this, Sophocles demonstrates the importance of following destiny to fulfill one's destiny, a concept further amplified in Santiago's motivations in "The Alchemist." Santiago's journey through "The Alchemist" is based solely on the motivation of finding his treasure, which is emblematic of his destiny. Within the novel, the concept of "personal legend" serves as a substitute for destiny, which is the only means that drives Santiago to be able to live a satisfying life. The protagonist's devotion to this 'Personal Legend' is conveyed through Coelho's use of the imperative voice in "Don't forget that everything you deal with is just one thing and nothing else... And, above all , do not forget to follow your destiny to its conclusion” establishing the foundation of his superior cognitive process as he continues his journey, overcoming numerous obstacles along the way. Overall, Coelho's depiction of his journey mimics the concept of destiny as motivation in life, which is present in Antigone. However, Sophocles' altruistic characterization of Antigone differs greatly from Coelho's distractible portrayal of Santiago. By employing the notion of arete, Sophocles was able to experience her as the virtuous beauty that is the logical basis of Antigone's personal motivation. This presents her as extremely compassionate and benevolent, but incorporates shades of her strong-willed mindset, allowing her to stay true to her purpose without hesitation, while sacrificing herself for progression on her journey. Sophocles uses euphemism in “No, save thyself; I don't despise your escape. ... because you chose life and I chose death. which validates his disposition to self-sacrifice and manifests his determination to fulfill not only the natural law of honoring his deceased relatives through his rejection of death as an end, but rather”