Hamlet vs. oedipus
My reaction to both Hamlet and Oedipus was ultimately the same.... "What a sham." I suppose that was the intention of Shakespeare and Sophocles to convey that feeling, hence their fitting category of "tragedy." Both plays end in bloodshed and mayhem with the tragic heroes at their downfall; Hamlet dies while Oedipus lives on to face disgrace and shame. However, even though Oedipus managed to preserve his life, it is he who suffers the greater loss. Not only is he unable to avenge the death of the old king and his revealed father, he has to live with the fact that he married his mother and procreated with her. Along with the content of Hamlet and Oedipus' behaviors and attitudes, we were able to foresee their tragic destinies through their persistent inquiries. Hamlet and Oedipus shared the role of investigator. Both were obsessed with pursuing the truth and taking action according to it. They were both seeking their father's murderer, although Oedipus was doing so unknowingly, so that they can avenge their deaths. It is revealed that Oedipus was the more compulsive hero while Hamlet is the more rational. Oedipus was impatient and stubborn, refusing to listen to Jocasta when she told him to stop searchin
Surely an honorable man would not do such a thing. A big difference between Oedipus and Hamlet is their reason for vengeance. On the other hand, had Oedipus only thought ahead before he acted, maybe he could've avoided some of his immense suffering. The fact that he was the actual killer who murdered his father and married his mother was completely unknown to him. Then, ironically, a few years later Oedipus publicly announces to find Laius' killer. Oedipus, due to his ill-temper and pride, would rather kill a man than step aside and let him pass on the road. The only problem for him was to recognize what he really wanted done (to kill, or not to kill). I am still uncertain if he wants to kill Claudius for the reason of avenging his father or jealously because he married his mother. It is his precise contemplations that disabled him to act. Honor is a concept worth fighting and dying for, and this is evidently the view for Oedipus. Had he acted sooner, maybe he did not have to die. However, if asked who was more heroic, I would side with Oedipus. They had the Oedipus complex of wanting to marry their mother. Jealously and envy seems to be the real motivation for is desires of killing Claudius. This difference in attitude may be due to their difference in religion.
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