Comparing Tragedy in Oedipus the King and Antigone

Oedipus the King More Tragic then Antigone

Sophocles was a master of tragedy, thereÕs no argument there. But which of

the 2 plays weÕve studied, Oedipus the King and Antigone, is the more tragic?

I believe that Oedipus the King was more intensely tragic and I think that if I

were to see a the plays Òback to back,Ó Oedipus would be the more likely one

to rivet true emotions from me. I think OedipusÕ cathartic value can be seen

clearly when you compare the entirety of the results in both plays.

In Antigone, she loses 2 brothers, and then a lover, and finally her life. Oedipus loses his

self-confidence, his true father, his true mother, his ÒadoptiveÓ father, his wife,

his integrity, his people, and his sight. When you weigh the two, Oedipus is

obviously the more tragic, in this one area at least. Certainly one must see

that Oedipus goes through a more cathartic tragedy than Antigone when one

looks at the circumstances under which the tragedy falls as well. Antigone

knew full well that what she was doing was wrong. She knew that if she buried

her brother bad things would happen and she was ready and willing to die.

Oedipus on the other hand actually thought he was doing the city some good

by searching out the killer of Laius. He thought everything was going to turn

out just fine in the end, which makes his downfall that much worse. A point that

also must be considered is hybris. Many people donÕt feel like they can relate

to Oedipus because of his hybris, whereas Antigone is a very palpable sort of

character, very down to earth and a ÒpeopleÕs heroÓ so to speak. She is

strong, and willing to die for her cause.