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Comparison Between Hamlet And Oedipus The King

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Life From Prison to Prison The main characters in Fatih Akin’s Head-On, Shakespeare’s Hamlet, and Sophocles’ Oedipus the King are all subject to confinement in both similar and dissimilar ways alike. All of these characters fall under the hand of family and cultural values, often having to suffer from the actions of family members and the expectations forced upon them by their people. Yet, these characters all endure other forms of confinement specific to their own situations; Sibel and Cahit are entrapped by love and marriage, Oedipus is restrained by his destiny and ignorance, and Hamlet is imprisoned by trying to avenge his father’s death. These constraints help the characters find temporary salvation which is later overcome with …show more content…

This action emphasizes the love that Cahit had developed for Sibel, establishing the second imprisonment in the film. Like Sibel, Oedipus is detained by his family and his culture. He is the king of Thebes, a city that has recently succumbed to a terrible plague, and as king, he is expected to find a solution to this problem. After sending his right-hand man Creon to an oracle and finding out that the man who killed King Laius, the former king of Thebes, is the one who brought the plague upon Thebes, Oedipus calls for the village prophet to tell him who is the murderer of Laius. Oedipus bothers the prophet Teiresias until he gets an answer, however, the answer was not one to his liking; Teiresias tells Oedipus that “[he is] the land’s pollution” (Line 353). This instant is where the audience becomes aware of Oedipus’ second prison: Ignorance. Though he may not be aware of his own ignorance, it proves to play a large role as a confining subject, just as love is for Cahit. The truth is something that Oedipus chooses to ignore, creating a second trap for himself. Oedipus is choosing to oppress the truth, the very thing that could free Thebes from its plight and himself from his own ignorance At the same time, this is also the audience’s first glimpse into Oedipus’ destiny, which, unbeknownst to him at the time, was to kill his father and sleep with his mother. This prophecy is just one more thing that holds Oedipus back from true freedom. In addition to

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