Hamlet vs. Oedipus

Tragedies have been a form of plays for a long time, since the Greek’s time of high power, ever since Thespis created the first form of play write with only using one actor. Plays and tragedies have come a long way since then, gradually increasing the number of actors and their role in the plays that were created. One of the most influential play writes of his time was Sophocles, who used three characters and created more realistic dramatic scenes and created one of the most influential plays of the time Oedipus Rex. His plays focused on us humans under the influence of gods, and also created the Oedipus cycle, which told stories of a great king who violated the rules set upon by the gods. Fast forward several thousands of years to another most influential playwright William Shakespeare. William has created hundreds of works, but is most known for his tragedies, Such as Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, Julius Caesar, King Lear, and so on, but the one I want to talk about a very well know Tragedy, and most famous one Made by Shakespeare, Hamlet, and compare it to the tragedy mentioned above, Oedipus Rex. These two Plays have some very similar themes, but also have some very different story lines. This essay will compare the two tragedies, on how they are similar, and contrast the differences these two plays have from each other.

First off I would like to start out with the main Character of the plays, starting with Hamlet. Named for the title of the play, Hamlet is stricken with sorrow after finding out that his father, the king of Denmark, has been murdered, by his own brother, and uncle of Hamlet, Claudius, (Though, Hamlet does not find this out until later on in the play by the ghost of his father). The Play focuses on Hamlet’s struggle on convincing himself to get revenge on Claudius, but also a battle of his own sanity. Hamlet has distanced himself from his mother, Who married Claudius, and has only one trusted friend, Horatio, and a beloved girl, Ophelia, who succumbs to madness as well after finding out that Hamlet has killed her father, and later dies by drowning herself (in which upon the death of both his father, and sister, Laertes holds it against Hamlet). The end of the play ends with Hamlet, Gertrude, Claudius, Laertes, and Ophelia dead, Horatio mourning over Hamlet’s death, and Fortinbras taking over the kingdom of Denmark.