Ignorance is Not Bliss in William Shakespeare´s Hamlet and Sophocles

1442 Words3 Pages

Many people believe that ignorance is bliss. There is a mentality that exists, where the truths are better off unknown and another where the truth is ignored completely. This is certainly true in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Sophocles’’ Oedipus. Jocasta and Gertrude both choose to ignore reality, and therefore blind themselves from the truth before them. As a result of her intentional ignorance, Jocasta severely damages her relationship with Oedipus and her reputation, whereas Gertrude’s ignorance merely causes mild, repairable damage to her relationship with her son and her reputation. Therefore, Jocasta’s contentment in her ignorance inevitably results in a far more tragic ending, than that of Gertrude.
Jocasta’s blindness to the truth ruins her relationship with Oedipus unlike Gertrude’s blindness which merely taints her relationship with Hamlet. Primarily, as Oedipus comes closer to discovering the truth, Jocasta begs him to stop searching. She pleads with him yelling “No! In God’s name – if you want to live, this/ must not go on. Have I not suffered enough?/... I know I am right. I’m warning you for your own good.” (Sophocles 55). It is clear that Jocasta knows the truth and all along yet she refuses to tell Oedipus .She tries very hard to ignore the fact that Oedipus is her son because she knows once he discovers the truth, he will not even be able to look her in the eyes. It terrifies Jocasta to know that once Oedipus realizes that she is aware of the truth all along he will loathe her. Nothing hurts her more than knowing that the one she loves despises her. Jocasta can evade these unfortunate events if she did not ignore the obvious truth before her. Moreover, Jocasta desperately hopes that Oedipus dies before he u...

... middle of paper ...

...he wilful acts of ignorance Jocasta is able to completely destroy her reputation as the queen of Thebes unlike Gertrude who merely taints her reputation.
To summarize, both Jocasta and Gertrude suffer consequences through their acts of voluntary blindness from the truth however, Jocasta suffers much more tragic and unfortunate consequences than Gertrude. Jocasta completely demolishes her relationship with Oedipus by ignoring the truth while Gertrude temporarily causes Hamlet to become angry with her. Jocasta also, manages to completely crush her reputation as the queen of Thebes through her act of ignorance unlike Gertrude who merely seems to make a foolish mistake. Evidently, both these women fail to understand that ignorance is not bliss. One cannot ignore the truth and expect it to go away; the only way one can make things better is by facing the truth head on.

Show More
Related

  • The Innocence of Gertrude and Ophelia in William Shakespeare's Hamlet

    719 Words  | 2 Pages

    By disposition, Gertrude turns to the positive side of life and can’t bear to face pain. The pain she felt after her adultery with Claudius may have been what motivated Claudius to murder her husband. When the conditions were right for her to marry her lover, she was most happy and wished for the difficulties of the past be forgotten.

    Read More

  • Oedipus the King

    993 Words  | 2 Pages

    Oedipus is very knowledgeable during the play and at some times still extremely ignorant. He doesn’t always put pieces together. When they are right in front of him. Many people in the play call him ignorant when he still believes that he is knowledgeable. Tiresias says “ All ignorant! And I refuse to link my utterance with a downfall such as yours” (19). In this quote Tiresias means that Oedipus is ignorant even though he acts like he knows everything. Oedipus does not know what Tiresias knows and that is that the curse, which stated the Oedipus would marry his mother, has come true. Tiresias can see what will happen when Oedipus finds out that Jocasta is really his mother and wants to prevent that from happening. When Tiresias does not tell Oedipus the information he seeks he gets angry. Tiresias also has another quote that goes along with knowledge verses ignorance. Tiresias states “I’m blind, you say; you mock at that! I say you see and still are blind-appallingly: Blind to your origins and to a union in your house. Yes, ask yourself where are you from. You’d never guess what hate is dormant in your home or buried with your dear ones dead, or how a mother’s and a fathers curse will one day scourge you with its double thongs and whip you staggering from the land. It shall be night where you now boast the day.” (23). This quote says a lot. First Tiresias accuses Oedipus for mocking him yet still not knowing the information that he knows. Which is the curse. He accuses Oedipus for being blind also and not knowing the truth of his origins, which are from a different mother, and then he grew up with. He doesn’t see he has married his mother. In one part of the quote it states “Yes, ask your self where are you from”. Tiresias is hinting at the fact even though Oedipus thinks he’s extremely knowledgeable he’s ignorant because he doesn’t know where he is from.

    Read More

  • Similarities Between Macbeth And Oedipus The King

    720 Words  | 2 Pages

    Oedipus the King is a very famous Greek tragedy written by Sophocles that was first performed in 429 B.C. A major theme during the course of the play is the characters keenness to ignore the truth. Many times in the play, there are circumstances in which the truth is blatantly obvious, however the major protagonists are blinded by their own self-preservation to see it. For instance, when the messenger says, “Your ankles… they tell the story. Look at them”(1032). When Oedipus was a child, his birth parents, Jocasta and Laius, bound his feet together. The fact that Jocasta never made the connection between Oedipus and her once baby illustrates that she doesn’t want to hear the truth.

    Read More

  • Custom Shakespeare's Hamlet Essay: Hamlet and Gertrude

    1925 Words  | 4 Pages

    Shakespeare’s sinful woman in the tragedy Hamlet is named Gertrude. Wife of Claudius and mother of the prince, she is not selected by the ghost for vengeance by the protagonist. Let’s consider her story in this essay.

    Read More

  • Why Is Oedipus A Tragedy

    577 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the play Oedipus Rex, Oedipus learns things that make him realize that he is not who he thinks he is. His past is slowly unavailing throughout the play from where he came from to why it happened and he is determined to learn the truth. This play is based on tragedy and some say that Oedipus himself is to be held responsible for what happens to him towards the end. As Oedipus seeks out the truth behind the prophecy going on about killing his father and marrying his mother, Jocasta realizes the truth before Oedipus does and tries to prevent him from pursuing the knowledge.

    Read More

  • Hamlet Betrayal

    1210 Words  | 3 Pages

    ... feelings and marries Claudius which really hurts Hamlet. Gertrude as a wife and mother, hurts the people most loved, her family.

    Read More

  • Murder Methods: Unfolding Motives in Hamlet

    1250 Words  | 3 Pages

    Both Claudius’s and Hamlet’s deaths suggests that corruption is destructive to someone’s mind and even life; and it is arguably worse than ignorance. But ignorance also has a price; in this case, it is still death, just notably less painful. Polonius and Ophelia represent unawareness, and their stories show the importance of analysing situations and the impact of their actions. Although this play is written hundreds years ago, the message behind the text is still worthwhile to ponder

    Read More

  • Sight vs. Blindness in Oedipus the King

    459 Words  | 1 Pages

    As the play draws to a close, it is shown how Oedipus learns the true nature of things. Oedipus remains blind to the truth until he can deny it no longer. After hearing the testimony of the herdsman it is perfectly clear to Oedipus that he has fulfilled the prophecy by killing his father and marrying his mother, in turn bringing the great misfortune about the city of Thebes. Upon discovering the truth, along with discovering Jocasta’s dead body, Oedipus blinds himself with the pins on her dress and shouts that his eyes “would no longer see the evils he had suffered or had done, see in the dark those he should not have seen.” (1280-1282).

    Read More

  • Jocasta as the Victim of Oedipus the King

    1028 Words  | 3 Pages

    The play Oedipus the King by Sophocles has often been described as the story of a “tragic hero.” This story is indeed tragic; however, Oedipus is not the only character stricken by tragedy. Equally stricken may be the character of Jocasta. She, as well as Oedipus, suffers many tragedies throughout the story. Shifting the story to a different perspective quite possibly may increase how we view it. The point is not to denounce Oedipus’ role as a tragic hero, but to denounce his role as the only tragic character.

    Read More

  • Two Highlights of the Greek Tragedian Era: Hamlet and Oedipus Rex

    572 Words  | 2 Pages

    Gertrude was similar to Jocasta, not only because they were mothers, but by the way Gertrude showed her love for Hamlet. Gertrude showed a sign of motherhood when she told Hamlet, “Let not thy mother lose her prayers, Hamlet. I pray thee stay with us, go not Wittenberg” (Shakespeare, Act 1, Scene 2, 787). This quote explained Gertrude’s anxiety about her son going off to Wittenberg for school. After Hamlet’s father death and Gertrude married Claudius, she wanted Hamlet to be around to make sure that he was dealing wit...

    Read More

  • Hamlet's Grief: A Journey of Revenge and Fallout

    1300 Words  | 3 Pages

    Hamlet doles Gertrude a rather bruising blow for a mother to take, saying she has “Stew’d in corruption,” (Act 3, scene 4, p.74) “In the rank sweat of an enseamed bed” (Act 3, scene 4, p.74). Hamlet punishes Gertrude with his words so severely the ghost eventually appears again to command Hamlet to “step between [Gertrude] and her fighting soul” (Act 3, scene 4, p. 75) because he has taken the slander further than condoned, even for her unfaithfulness toward her dead husband. Not only has Hamlet disregarded his queen, but he has also unceremoniously disrespected his mother as an elder and as his parent when, as his parent, she has only ever looked out for his well being. At the first sign of his madness and possible unhappiness, Gertrude called in the cavalry, sending for Guildenstern and Rosencrantz “instantly to visit/ [her] too much changed son” Gertrude (Act 2, scene 2, p.34) rather than allow Hamlet to suffer a second longer. Regardless of Gertrude’s insignificant wrong doings, Claudius has performed many worse: murder, incest, and conspiring murder all for a crown and alleged love; yet, Hamlet has done worse. Hamlet blatantly hates Claudius for the deeds he has committed, justifiably angry perhaps, but Hamlet goes so far as to refrain from killing Claudius while praying

    Read More

  • A Comparison Of Hamlet And Michael Almereyda's Hamlet

    1559 Words  | 4 Pages

    To begin, Gertrude is presented in differing manners throughout Hamlet the play versus Hamlet (2000) the film. In Shakespeare’s play, she originally is cast as a woman who has power due to her husband, but sits as a trophy wife. Craving power, safety, and comfort, she depends on men for her position and control. Seeming to have poor judgment, she never expresses self-reflection throughout the play and just seems to be a bit oblivious to everything, ultimately resulting in her death as an unaware victim of a game she ensnared herself

    Read More

  • Free Hamlet Essays: The Downfall of Hamlet

    695 Words  | 2 Pages

    How Gertrude can marry the brother, and murderer of her deceased husband beats me! How she got re-married so quickly after the death, and without even consulting with her son Hamlet just proves how much of an ugly person she really is. "Thrift, thrift, Horatio. The funeral baked meats did coldly furnish forth the marriage tables."( I;ii; 180-181). What beats me is how even after Hamlet told his mother that Claudius was responsible for his fathers death, she still decided to stay with him. Which is absolute proof of how self centred she is, and how much her son means to her. "A bloody deed almost as bad, good mother, as kill a king, and marry his brother."( III;iv;29-30). Hamlet, now having no blood family left to lean on, finds himself feeling very alone. But cannot see his downfall coming.

    Read More

  • The Weakness of Characters in a Play

    1467 Words  | 3 Pages

    Hamlet’s s mother, Gertrude, the Queen of Denmark married her brother in law, Claudius, after her husband, the previous King, Elder Hamlet, was murdered by Claudius. In reality, many people might consider Queen Gertrude as a blatant, characterless and a licentious woman because of her incestuous marriage to Claudius. If we analyze Gertrude’s character we should spring up with the idea that due to her husband’s sudde...

    Read More

  • Gertrude Hamlet Character Analysis

    744 Words  | 2 Pages

    Hamlet has just come from watching Claudius praying for forgiveness, his emotions and his nerves are very brittle, and he has just missed a chance to kill his uncle. Hamlet releases his pent up frustrations upon Gertrude, lashing out at her and condemning her despite the ghost’s order not to. Hamlet lashes out with his id, insulting her and accusing her, she defends with her Superego, innocent in her mind of any crimes he accuses her of.

    Read More

More about Ignorance is Not Bliss in William Shakespeare´s Hamlet and Sophocles

Open Document