Oedipus in Sophocles' 'Oedipus Rex' and Young Colonel Sartoris Snopes in William Faulkner's 'Barn Burning': A Comparative Analysis of Characters

It is amazing how two literary works from different time periods and different cultures can portray the same theme. A major theme in both The Kite Runner and Oedipus Rex is the limits of free will. The way Khaled Hosseini portrays the theme in The Kite runner is the way that the majority of Pashtuns treat the Hazaras, they are either treated as objects that people can do whatever they want with, they are treated as second class citizens or they are servants to the Pashtuns. In Oedipus Rex, the way that the theme is portrayed is that Oedipus is bound to a prophecy that he heard when he was a child.

In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, and Sophocles, Oedipus the King, both of the main characters conform to the same classic tragic hero formula. Oedipus suffers a life based on a pre‐birth prophecy, whereas Hamlet finds himself burdened with the task of avenging his father’s death. In both situations, two kings must leave their innocence behind as the truth leads them first, to enlightenment and then to their downfall. They battle between the light, the truth and the darkness, the lie. Both Hamlet and Oedipus are similar in that they both showcase their mental state and stability, they are able to make swift decisions, and they both deal with relationships with women. Despite similarities between Hamlet and Oedipus, it is Oedipus’ consideration to do what is best for his people and city that makes him the more honourable man.

Although Abner’s aggression and vengeance leads himself to the wrong end, he teaches Santoris about standing up for himself and doing right thing. Throughout the incident with Abner planning to burn the barn, Santoris finally runs away from his own family. He thought to himself, “I could run on and on and never look back, never need to see his face again. Only I can’t, I can’t” (489). He escapes from the restrain from his mother and the rest of the family. But, he finally decides not to run anymore and stands up to face against the wrong his father is doing. By understanding the thought process of Sartoris, the readers can see the change in Sartoris surely is affected by seeing his father’s negative actions throughout the story. Santoris begins to understand what is consider the “correct” thing to do by seeing enough of his father’s incorrect actions. In fact, towards the end of the story, after the gunshots, Sartoris whispers to himself, “He was brave!”(491). Again, the readers can see that even though Sartoris doesn’t like to be under the fear of his father, he still respects his father for teaching him about family, doing the right thing, and standing up for himself as his guidance and remainders. Overall, the effect of Abner as his son’s role model is not be the best model to learn from,

“Who am I?” This has become the essential question asked in each literary work The Kite Runner and Oedipus Rex. Striving to find who they are the characters, Oedipus and Amir, try to figure out what they have become through their separate journeys. Most of their conclusions rely on the fact that both characters continue to look back into their past. The constant theme in both the novel and the tragedy is continuously looking into the past. Both characters constantly look at the past in ways such as their relationship with their father, the wrong choices they have made, and the secrets that lie in the family.

Death of a Salesman a modern drama that we have read in our class as one of the 3 peace's of literature our professor deems to be important to read. The main characters having a similar theme that they are put into situations out of there control. For the most part they want to be doing the right thing. Weather it's Oedipus form his famous play hunting down the truth even though he knows that if what he is first told is right that he has fulfilled the curse placed on him and must be exiled, or its Hamlet trying to trick everyone he knows into thinking that he is mad to avenge his father. Even willy he tries to lie to his wife to make her feel better about their bleak life. Due to the large gaps in the time periods of when these works of literature have been written there is an evolution. Oedipus Rex and Hamlet are considered tragedy of their time but Death of a sales man is the only one that can't be labeled as a tragedy.

Many people believe that fate has planned out their lives and despite efforts on their part what was meant to happen, will eventually happen. This belief has been handed down over the centuries from some of the first civilizations, such as the Greeks. However, not all Greek citizens wanted destiny to take control of their lives. Some decided to choose freewill over the will of the gods. In Oedipus the King, Sophocles writes a cautionary tale meant to warn the doubters in Greek society that regardless of their beliefs in gods and prophecies, it is necessary to heed their warnings. Oedipus, Jocasta, and Laius are Sophocles’ characters that prove that escaping one’s fate is not possible, as each of their predicted fates is realized despite extensive efforts to thwart them.

William Faulkner’s short story “Barn Burning” describes a typical relationship between wealthy people and poor people during the Civil War.

Aristotle’s tragic hero is one of the most recognizable types of heroes among literature. A tragic hero combines five major points all of which have to do with the hero’s stature in society, his faults, how these faults effect him, the punishment his faults gets him, and how he reacts to this punishment. Aristotle explained that the story of Oedipus the King, written by Sophocles, is a perfect example of a tragic hero. In the play, Oedipus is given a prophecy in which he is told that he will kill his father then marry his mother. As in many Greek plays, Oedipus tries to run from his prophecy and ends up fulfilling exactly what it is foretold. Through the play we see that Oedipus posses many of the characteristics

It is a common human flaw to only see things that are pleasing and choose to ignore distasteful situations. Falling into this trap, Oedipus, the King of Thebes in Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex, finds his doom by choosing to turn a blind eye to reality. The king falls from his throne by choosing to live in an illusion and failing to recognize the power of fate.

Ancient Greeks cared deeply about the pursuit of knowledge. Although the truth was often a terrifying concept, they still saw it as a critical virtue. The theater was one way in which the ideas of knowledge and truth were examined.

Sartoris’ conflicting opinions of staying true to his moral integrity or remaining loyal to his family prevent him from taking action against his father. Sartoris’ “frantic grief and despair” (pg.2) towards lying about his father’s intentions reveal his moral dilemma when asked to choose between his two contrasting views. Disinclined to turn over his father, Sartoris hopes that “Maybe [his father’s] done satisfied now” (pg.3) as he believes that there’s a chance Abner could change. Sartoris knowledge that “[the courts] wanted only truth, justice” (pg. 4) highlight his ability to discern between right and wrong, but it is this struggle to do the right thing that prevents him from attempting to stop Abner. Sartoris conscience and ideals confuse

This paper is the rough draft version. There are grammatical errors and other such errors in it.

The best way to view the translations of Oedipus the King by Sophocles and Seneca is to compare a sketch and a painting. Sophocles is an outline of the story that shows us the highlights in words that are easily digested and transcend through every time period. The word reverent, as spoken in class, applies due to its graceful nature of giving us moral values, while not over-sensationalizing the issues. During Seneca, we are given a violent, bloody, and visually stunning portrayal of Oedipus’ downfall. Each tell the story, but only Seneca features a long soliloquy, massive choral odes, and live-action suicide. He strokes thick, dirty detailed lines that show off the internal struggle of men, damning oracles, and dying cow fetuses.

There are many facets of personality of a minor character that authors may utilize to supply contrast to the main character of their work. Some of these contrasts are extremely noticeable and some are not. One such facet is with the use of a neutral character; to not only showcase the main character’s flaws, but so not to detract from the moral of the story. Creon, from the play “Oedipus the King” by Sophocles is used for both of these reasons. Sophocles wished to show that one cannot escape fate, yet did not want to cloud this issue with a possible coupe against his main character Oedipus. He also showed how, at times one character can act completely irrational, while one remains calm in the face of serious accusations.

Throughout Poetics, Aristotle describes what traits a tragedy must have to be successful. To support these choices, he makes use of a small analysis of many tragedies, including many of Sophocles’ plays; Oedipus Rex is one of the plays mentioned in Aristotle’s Poetics. Some of these traits include a successful plot structure, recognition scenes, and a correct choice for its hero. In Oedipus Rex, Sophocles fulfills all of these requirements.