Essay on Hamlet vs. Oedipus

Words: 904
Pages: 4
Open Document
Character Analysis of Prince Hamlet in "Hamlet" by William Shakespeare and Oedipus in "Oedipus King" by Sophocles In Aristotle's literary discourse, "Poetics," he discusses his theory of tragedy, wherein he introduces the concepts of tragic flaw or "hamartia," which serves as the catalyst for the protagonist's downfall or the tragedy of the story to happen. He determines a tragedy as a "drama" that brings about a "sorrowful conclusion, arousing fear and pity in the audience" (Roberts and Jacobs, 1998:1189). Tragic stories are identified through three (3) characteristics or elements: first, the protagonist, usually a male, must be of noble stature; second, the protagonist or tragic hero must possess a tragic flaw or "hamartia" that …show more content…
Oedipus is a paradox personified in the play, since Sophocles characterizes him as critical of Tiresias' predictions about his future in a remark that will become significant to him later. He criticizes Tiresias by saying, "In truth, but not in you! You have no strength, blind in your ears, your reason, and your eyes," which the prophet replies by saying, "Unhappy man! Those jeers you hurl at me before long all these men will hurl at you" (1206-7). From this exchange of lines between Oedipus and Tiresias, it becomes apparent that Tiresias' remark about Oedipus' ‘blindness' illustrates the fact that despite Oedipus intelligence and good perception on things is in contrast to his attitude towards the prediction on his fate by the Tiresias. Despite the truthfulness of the prophet's prediction (another irony in the story, since the audience knows the truth and not the characters, leaving Oedipus and his parents unknowing about the things happening to them), Oedipus blindly refused any word of the prophet's statement, and this attitude finally resulted to Oedipus' fall as King of Thebes. In sum, the character analysis of both Hamlet and Oedipus shows that despite their being tragic heroes, they possess different tragic flaws that led to their downfall. Hamlet's weakness is his indecisiveness, while Oedipus flaw is the opposite
Show More

Related Documents: Essay on Hamlet vs. Oedipus

Oedipus vs. Hamlet: a Character Comparison Essay example

other such errors in it. Oedipus vs. Hamlet: A Character Comparison After reading Sophocles' Oedipus the King and Shakespeare's Hamlet, it is quiet clear that Oedipus is by far the more admirable character of the two. Aside from Oedipus' history and life experience, his superior character traits are also displayed in the way he handles several incidents throughout the play. One of the primary reasons Oedipus' is more admirable than Hamlet is just their history. Oedipus is a king. He got there…

Words 1074 - Pages 5

Essay about Prince Hamlet

Oedipus, King of the Thebes vs. Prince Hamlet of Denmark In the plays Oedipus Rex by Sophocles and The Tragedy of Hamlet by William Shakespeare, Oedipus and Hamlet have varied traits that can be contrasted. Written in two diverse eras, both Oedipus and Hamlet are protagonists of plays that involve a tragedy amongst their family. Oedipus grew up in the time of the Greek gods, gods who set their examples through abolition of the titans, depraved marriages with siblings, and impulsive actions that…

Words 1015 - Pages 5

Hamlet And Oedipus Research Paper

Messerschmidt LIT 1000 September 14, 2014 Assessment of Hamlet and Oedipus Oedipus and Hamlet are two characters that are comparable even though they have different authors. In the Elizabethan era, which Hamlet was written in, tragedy was customary in most plays. Yet Oedipus Rex was written 2000 years before Hamlet. The intrigue in these plays, keep the audience and reader engrossed till the very end. Oedipus and Hamlet brought upon their own demise by their egos and their quest for the…

Words 1076 - Pages 5

Wilson Knight's Paper, Not Mine

Hamlet by William Shakespeare - MonkeyNotes by PinkMonkey.com PinkMonkey® Literature Notes on . . . Sample MonkeyNotes Note: this sample contains only excerpts of the booknote sections and does not represent the full contents of the booknote. This sample will give you an idea of the layout and overall content of the full summary. Hamlet Prince of Denmark by William Shakespeare MonkeyNotes Edited by Diane Sauder PinkMonkey.com, Inc. Copyright ©1997, All Rights Reserved. Distribution…

Words 3503 - Pages 15

Essay on Privilege: Copyright and Applicable Copyright Law

Page vii Contents Preface, Michael Kimmel and Amy Aronson, xiii Introduction, xv MEN AND MASCULINITIES Copyright © 2004. ABC-CLIO All rights reserved. May not be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except fair uses permitted under U.S. or applicable copyright law. A Social, Cultural, and Historical Encyclopedia Volume I: A–J A Abolitionists, 1 Action Television Series, 3 Adolescence, 5 “Adonis Complex,” 8 Aging, 9 AIDS, 15 Alcohol, 17 Alda…

Words 2111 - Pages 9