The Protagonist as Victim in Oedipus the King and Hamlet
In Sophocle's Oedipus the King and William Shakespeare's Hamlet, the unruly forces surrounding the protagonists are the source for their downfall. Fate, women, and divine intervention are the foundation for the protagonists' demise. The protagonists are powerless against these elements, and for that reason, are not responsible for their finish.
The uncontrollable force of fate is one component that assists in destroying Oedipus. Oedipus cannot improve his situation because of fate and realizes this when he declares, "But I count myself the son of Good Chance, the giver of success-I shall not be dishonored." This statement illustrates how powerless Oedipus is against his destiny. He realizes his position and refuses to be `dishonored' for circumstances beyond his control.
In Oedipus the King, Jocasta is another cause for Oedipus's ruin. Jocasta senses that her husband may also be her son. She only encourages him to dismiss the idea. Once Oedipus comes close to discovering the truth Jocasta desperately pleads with him when she cries, "In God's name, if you place any value on your life, don't pursue the search. It is enough that I am sick to death...Take my advice, I beg you-do not go on with it." Jocasta may have been trying to save him, but she help destroy him instead.
Divine intervention plays an important role in the fall of Oedipus. The gods put a plague on the country, and as king, it is Oedipus's duty to save his country. His ability to solve the riddle earns him much praise. This praise for saving the country only serves to inflate Oedipus's ego, which the author displays as he writes:
That riddle was not for anyone w...
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...evenge his foul murder and most unnatural murder." The spirit goes on to reveal how Claudius murdered him and asks Hamlet to retaliate. This divine intervention forces Hamlet to do what his father bids. If it were not for this action made by the ghost of his father, his fortune would be different.
In Oedipus the King and Hamlet, the protagonists are victims of unmanageable forces in their environments. Fate, women, and divine intervention are the groundwork for the protagonists' end. These protagonist, try as they might, have absolutely no control over these forces or their outcome.
Sources
Shakespeare, William. The New Cambridge Shakespeare: Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Ed. Philip Edwards. Cambridge: Cambridge U P, 1985.
Sophocles. "Oedipus the King" Classics in World Literature. Ed by Wood, Kerry et. Al. Glenview, IL: Scott-Foresman, 1989.
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The story Oedipus Rex is a ghastly, heartrending story of three people who are being controlled by fate. Jocasta, Laius, and Oedipus try their hardest to avoid their fate that will ultimately destroy them. In the end Laius dies by the hand of his own son, Jocasta kills herself because she can’t bear the embarrassment that she slept with her son, and Oedipus becomes blind because of a curse and is left to wander his days waiting for death. Their destiny won and they are left dealing with the consequences.
Sophocles. "Oedipus Rex." An Introduction to Literature, 11th ed.Eds. Sylvan Barnet, et al. New York: Longman, 1997.
A common debate that still rages today is whether we as a species have free will or if some divine source, some call it fate, controls our destiny. The same debate applies to Oedipus the King and Oedipus at Colonus. Does Oedipus control his actions, or are they predetermined by the gods? It’s that question that makes Oedipus a classic, and many different people think many different things.
In Oedipus the King, one of Sophocles’ most popular plays, Sophocles clearly depicts the Greek’s popular belief that fate will control a man’s life despite of man’s free will. Man was free to choose and was ultimately held responsible for his own actions. Throughout Oedipus the King, the concept of fate and free will plays an integral part in Oedipus' destruction.
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Oedipus Rex (the King), written by Sophocles, is the tragic play depicting the disastrous existence to which Oedipus, an Athenian, is 'fated' to endure. With a little help from the gods and the 'fated' actions and decisions of Oedipus, an almost unthinkable misfortune unfolds. Athenian perfection can consist of intelligence, self-confidence, and a strong will. Oedipus, the embodiment of such perfection, and his tragedy are common place to Athenians. Ironically, the very same exact characteristics that bring about the ominous discovery of Oedipus' fate: to kill his father and marry his mother. Oedipus' 'fated' decisions entangle everyone whom is of any significance to him within a quagmire of spiraling tragedy. Sophocles uses the riddle of the Sphinx as a metaphor for the three phases of Oedipus' entangled life, the three phases of human life, and to describe how every life-changing action or decision can influence other lives.
The purpose of this essay is to demonstrate that the events in Oedipus the King, written by Sophocles, are the result of the hero’s self determination and restless attempt to escape a terrifying destiny predicted for him by the oracle of Apollo at Delphi. My intention is to prove that although the Fates play a crucial part in the story, it is Oedipus'choices and wrong doing that ultimately lead to his downfall.
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Oedipus from the drama, “Oedipus the King” and Hamlet from, “Hamlet, Prince of Denmark” are two characters that are different, yet they both share the same title of being a tragic hero. Oedipus and Hamlet have many characteristics of a tragic hero that separates them in varieties. However, some of those characteristics show that both characters have and use similar thought processes and methods, which classify them as tragic heroes of their dramas. The five characteristics of a tragic hero are: nobility, tragic flaw, peripeteia, anagnorisis, and lastly irony. Both Oedipus and Hamlet hold or have a nobility position in their drama’s plot. Oedipus is the son of the king, and fate has foretold that he will kill his father and take over the kingdom. Hence, Oedipus was fated into his nobility, so he is required always remain in a status above all others. Hamlet is also the son of the former king that is now dead. Hamlet was born into this nobility, and this makes him the prince. Both characters are royalty, yet their morals and values are what make their nobilities the same. Their actions create heavy and dramatic outcomes, which lead to many more complications. Both men try to resolve their problems different, so their fortunes become reversed. Oedipus and Hamlet are very different, yet almost have the same fates. Out of all the five characterizes, three of them describe and separate both men best as tragic heroes. The tragic flaws, which is defined as hamartia, both men have are the main reason they are heroes of tragedy, their recognitions of their situations, which is an anagnorisis, are at different points in their stories, and lastly both men meet an ending that is meant to be an irony of their fate.
In fact, Oedipus is doomed to kill his father, marry his mother and finally to be blind. It was his destiny or fate; he has nothing to do with this end or to prevent it. It was his fate which was manipulating him; drive him from Cornith to kill his father and then to Thebes to marry his mother. His destiny made him "his wife's son, his mother husband." By the hands of fate, he turned to be the most hated man in Thebes and "the man whose life is hell for others and for himself."
The underlying theme in Oedipus Rex is that fate is more powerful than free will. On this strong basis of fate, free will doesn't even exist. This was a popular belief among the ancient Greeks. Fate may be accepted or denied by modern society, but in Oedipus's story, fate proves inevitable. In the play, Oedipus Rex, the characters Oedipus, Iocaste and Laios try to change fate.
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