Oedipus vs. Hamlet: a Character Comparison Essay

In addition, during this period female babies were much more likely to be abandoned at birth. Contrary to this, Oedipus was abandoned as an infant by Jocasta. In addition to the love that Oedipus has for the women in his life, in a monumental scene at the end of the play Oedipus cries out to his daughters and blindly embraces them. In this scene, Oedipus helplessly wails about the hardships that his daughters will soon face without once mentioning the fate of his two sons. Moreover, during this time men were known for having extramarital affairs by fulfilling their sexual desires while women were expected to remain faithful. In the play, there are no mentions of another lover of Oedipus. Additionally, it was not normal for men to socialize with their wives. Despite this being the norm, Oedipus finds comfort in talking to Jocasta. Oedipus confides in Jocasta, showing vulnerability towards a woman. Pietro Pucci states in his book Oedipus and the Fabrication of the Father, “Oedipus tells Jocasta how he was shaken by the rumor that he was illegitimate and how he secretly ran to Delphi to seek Apollo’s reassurance that he was the legitimate child of his parents, Polybus and Merope” (16). Scenes from the play reaffirm that Oedipus is humbled by the presence of Jocasta. Oedipus state, “I’ll tell you everything I fear. No one has more right than you do, to know the risks to which I’m now exposed” (Sophocles 898-890). Even after Oedipus finds Jocasta

Images of disease dominate Shakespeare's Hamlet as well as Sophocles play, Oedipus the King, Both Hamlet and Oedipus face many problems with death. Hamlet is seeking out the killer of his father as well as Oedipus. They feel that justice hasn't been served properly and they must seek out the killer of their fathers' in order for justice to be served. In both Hamlet and Oedipus the King, there is mass turmoil amongst family relationships, the inner problems they face, and the lack of free will they had.

Hamlet by William Shakespeare and Oedipus the King by Sophocles are both tragic stories which contain many elements of which are similar and different. Although both Hamlet and Oedipus suffer from fate, Hamlet’s father is murdered by his brother Claudius, while Oedipus kills his own father. Both Hamlet and Oedipus have the opportunity to shun their fate, but the two men believe themselves to be the only individual who can resolve the predicament which they are faced with. The homeland of Hamlet and Oedipus, Denmark and Thebes, are both in a state of tumult. After Hamlet’s father’s death Denmark was presided by a new court, after Claudius, who in addition to murdering Hamlet’s father, became king by marrying his

To compare both of the heroes in Hamlet and The Odyssey, they both use a type of deception to carry out revenge against those who have done wrong to them. Both of these characters use a type of madness to invoke revenge against the characters who have betrayed them. Hamlet uses madness with deception to try to take revenge for his father's murder, but instead of that madness helping to protect him, he ends up not being able to fully go through with it which leads to his downfall. Similarly, Odysseus, to achieve revenge against his enemies uses a physical disguise, created by Athena as a type of madness to deceive his enemies into thinking that he is an old man who is a beggar. The difference between Hamlet and Odysseus is that the plan that

Finally, the way in which Oedipus the King can be perceived as universal the best is in character traits that are alike in both modern people and Oedipus himself. Oedipus is a very stubborn person. He believes that Tiresias has not told him the truth and was sent by Creon to lie to him, even after Tiresias proves that he can actually see into the future. Modern day people can also be very stubborn, especially if they know or think that they are wrong about something. Oedipus also shows great intelligence. He saved the entire city of Thebes by answering the Sphinx's riddle and his reward was the crown and the queen's hand in marriage (Meyer, 987). He ruled the city fairly and justly, and shows his intelligence once again when he

     At first glance, Oedipus and Creon are two very different people. But as time progresses their personalities and even their fates grow more and more similar. In Sophocles’s play “Oedipus the King”, Oedipus and Creon are two completely opposite people. Oedipus is brash and thoughtless, whilst Creon is wise and prudent. In “Oedipus the King”, Oedipus effectively portrays the idea of the classic “flawed hero”. He becomes arrogant and brash. He accuses Creon and Tiresias of treachery. Even worse however, Oedipus goes against the gods. This causes them to punish him severely. Creon is the exact antithesis of Oedipus. He thinks before he acts. Creon is wise and loyal. In Sophocles’ other

In both plays, Hamlet and Oedipus’ mental state plays a big part in their roles as leaders. Both of these characters face a struggle beyond their control, but deal with it differently. Firstly, when Oedipus is faced with a problem, his mental state remains very stable and confident. His pristine leadership is shown when he states, “You may count on me; I am ready to do anything to help. I would be insensitive to pain, if I felt no pity for my people seated here” (Sophocles 2). Oedipus’ ability to remain calm in a tense situation makes him the ideal leader of Thebes. When his city is faced with a plague, he is a step ahead of

“Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder” (I.V.31). In Shakespeare's play titled Hamlet, Lies, deception, and foul play are all encompassed into an iconic tale of revenge. The tragedy takes place in Denmark, following the death of Hamlet’s father, King Hamlet. Shortly after his death, King Hamlet’s brother Claudius marries, the Queen, who is prince Hamlet’s mother. The ghost of the dead king later shows himself to Hamlet in order to reveal that he was actually murdered by his own brother Claudius. After the ghost instructs Hamlet to avenge his death, he composes a plan involving false insanity, to discover whether Claudius really did kill his father and how to avenge his father's death. In comparing the original Hamlet play, to movie

An immense desire for personal satisfaction, and extraordinary reputation can often result in a sickly, perverse distortion of reality. In Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex, a man well known for his intellect and wisdom, finds himself blind to the truth of his life, and his parentage. William Shakespeare’s Hamlet also contains a character that is in search of the truth, which ultimately leads to his own demise, as well as the demise of many around him. Arthur Miller’s play, The Death of a Salesman, tells of a tragic character so wrapped up in his delusional world, that reality and illusion fuse, causing an internal explosion that leads to his downfall. Each play enacts the struggle of a man attempting to come to grips

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

Compare and contrast Oedipus and Hamlet. Is Oedipus more a man of action? Or is he more a man driven by whim and sudden, rash decisions? Which character is more selfless? Does Hamlet show any signs of selfish motives in his actions or inactions? Which protagonist seems more learned? wiser? more religious? more loving? more incestuous? Which seems to be a better murder investigator? Does Oedipus have any of Claudius' motives when he kills the king, Laius? Then which murderer is more blameworthy--Oedipus or Claudius?

Hamlet and Oedipus have two vastly different reactions to the familial situations they find themselves in. While the story of Oedipus is often used to describe a situation in which a person feels romantic ties towards one of his or her parents and a loathing towards the other, the reaction of Oedipus when he realizes the situation he has found himself in is relatively suitable. Unlike many of the situations that the story is used to describe, Oedipus lives mostly unknowing to his incest and does not live normally once he realizes the situation. He instead chooses to act in the manner

Some scholars have interpreted Hamlet's actions throughout Hamlet to be the Oedipus complex.  According to the story of Oedipus, Laius, his father, learned from an oracle that Oedipus would kill him.  Laius then left his son to die on a mountain, where he was found and raised by the King of Corinth.  Oedipus was also told that he would someday kill his own father, and fled Corinth because he believed that the King of Corinth was his real father.  On Oedipus's journey, he passes Laius on the road, they argue and Oedipus kills Laius, without even knowing Laius was his true father.  Oedipus eventually marries his mother, Queen Jocasta, unaware of her true identity.

The tragic flaw of a human being is usually checked with the method he or she reacts with to the circumstances that life throws upon him or her. Contemporary society appears to be fixated on giving gatherings of people cases of such individuals who, in spite of the affliction of their lives, that still transcend. In fact, maybe nobody is more fit for indicating triumph over struggles than Sophocles and William Shakespeare. In both Oedipus and Hamlet, for example, the primary characters struggle with many obstacles and consequences and find themselves with unimaginable problems furthermore and are compelling to choose what the correct decision will be. This develops to Oedipus and Hamlet becoming motivated, courageous people and also becoming dishonest to themselves throughout the two books. Shakespeare and Sophocles’ plays show that sometimes when dealing with consequences and the obstacles there are different ways to react instead of leading to a tragedy. Oedipus and Hamlet’s motivation in dealing with problems is evident when the two primary characters want to find out the murderers of their father’s. Their courageous actions develop them towards having one goal, which was to kill the former King, and show courageous traits towards other people. They become dishonest to their themselves and is showed throughout the two books, which then causes misfortune for both of them in the end. Despite the resemblances of the two, Hamlet is in control of his activities, and he very

Sophocles' 'Oedipus Rex' and Shakespeare's 'Hamlet' are similar in the fact that they both contain elements of tragedy. In each playwright, the protagonist's motivation is fueled by a quest for truth, and the audience connects with the universal desire to seek justice when a wrongful act is committed. The way that the characters differ is that they both are seeking revenge, but in Oedipus, there is an underlying irony. In the story of Oedipus Rex, Oedipus pursues justice for the murder of Laius, the former king of Thebes, but unknowingly unravels an unfortunate truth of Laius being Oedipus' father and the person at fault is himself. Whereas, Hamlet is burdened with the need to avenge his father's death, proclaimed by the presumed ghost of King