Similarities And Differences Between Hamlet And Oedipus

According to the Greek philosopher Aristotle, a tragic hero is defined as someone whose misfortune is not the result of their own vice or corruption, but rather caused by some error of judgment. In the end, the audience should feel both pity for the character’s unfortunate predicament, as well as fear for the tragic end to a seemingly decent person. Both Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, and Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex are, at their core, filled with the basic elements of tragedy, and at the center of it all are the two main characters – Hamlet and King Oedipus. Admittedly, there are numerous difference between the two characters; for instance, King Oedipus is a great ruler and strategic thinker – performing tasks that no other man could. Hamlet on the other hand was simply born into nobility as a prince – with none of the extraordinary qualities or great confidence accompanying King Oedipus. Additionally, King Oedipus is clearly a man of action, immediately reacting for better or for worse to the issue at hand. Hamlet conversely is tormented throughout the play by his own procrastination and failure to act. Ultimately however, both Hamlet and

Both Hamlet and Oedipus go to great lengths to determine the truth. For Hamlet, this means confirming his suspicion that his uncle Claudius murdered his father, the king, in order to usurp the throne and marry Hamlet’s mother. Hamlet employs several different strategies in his search for the truth. Shrouded by a false veil of madness, Hamlet incessantly attempts to extract a confession out of Claudius by dropping subtle hints that he is in fact aware of what Claudius has done. The most extreme method used by Hamlet however is the play that he concocts reenacting the murder of King Hamlet in the way he believes it to have occurred. Hamlet uses this play as an opportunity to observe Claudius’ reaction and confirm his