THE KING'S PREDICAMENT
             5/4/04
            
             Could anyone predict kingship to be so laden with undesirable fates? Both Oedipus and Macbeth wore the crown and both found it among their more laborious tasks to maintain their status. However, the comparisons of the two do not stop there. Macbeth and Oedipus bare resemblance in a variety of characteristics, and in the characteristics of their fate. Needless to say, there are indeed dissimilarities between the two kings but it is their congruity that gives us valuable insight into the burdens of power and its addictive appeal. Oedipus and Macbeth share one profound affinity-they are kings who fall from power due to the innate inadequacies within themselves.
             Originally, they both become kings by reacting to what supernatural forces tell them. If the supernatural forces had never influenced the two, neither would have attempted occupying the throne. The function of the supernatural forces is fundamental in the journeys of both heroes. The oracle advises Oedipus to seek vengeance upon the murderer of the former king, Laius, in order to put an end to the plague. The three Weird Sisters, on the other hand, tell Macbeth, that he is destined to be king. Exactly how the messages are construed is what leads to their ultimate downfall.
             The dilemma is in their naive credulity-accepting the messages given to them by their respective "supernatural force," regarding them absolute fact. The words of the Sisters fill Macbeth with overconfidence and arrogance and in the end that is the cause of his demise. In Oedipus Rex, Oedipus tries to find the murderer of Laius, only to discover that it was he himself who slew him. To begin with, the two are very prosperous, and it is only the destructive nature of power and authority that kindles their dethronement. Yet, their departures are brought about in different ways, which makes their principal similarities so much more interesting.
             First of all, Oedipus i...