Oedipus And Hamlet Comparative Essay Example

Have you ever made a decision thinking it was right, but it was not? Our every day decisions that we make affect our lives and others. In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, the reader is introduced to Hamlet who is the protagonist. In the play Oedipus the King by Sophocles, the reader is introduced to Oedipus the protagonist. Both of these plays are tragedies, and the protagonists both play the tragic heroes. Oedipus and Hamlet both show resilience through revenge, ambition, and tragic fate. They both have been hurt by their fates and lost the people they love. However, Hamlet shows greater resilience as he keeps his resilience until the very end of the play. Oedipus does not keep resilience until the end of the play, as he breaks down after he finds out he triggered his father’s death. 

Hamlet and Oedipus both want to seek revenge to leave their fate behind. When Oedipus searches for the murderer, he states, "For whoever killed this man / may soon enough desire to turn his hand / to punish me in the same way, as well" (Sophocles 167-169). This displays that he wants to seek revenge on the person who killed the King. He says that he will do everything to find the murderer, but all this time he did not know that it was him. Furthermore, this quotation is significant to the plot, as later in the play we figure out that Oedipus killed King Laius. The theme of ignorance is developed in this quotation, as Oedipus ignores the truth. Hamlet shows greater resilience as he has a plan and Oedipus does not. Hamlet wants revenge on his uncle when he states: "Haste me to know't, that I, with wings as swift / As meditation or the thoughts of love, / May sweep to my revenge" (Shakespeare 1.5.29-31). This indicates that Hamlet will get revenge as fast as he can. Clearly, Hamlet shows greater resilience as he creates a whole plan of how he will get revenge. Shakespeare uses the smile “that I, with wings as swift” to convey that Hamlet only has hate left for Claudius, as he killed his father. This smile also indicates the theme of love, as Hamlet loves his father, and he wants to get revenge on Claudius for murdering him. Clearly, Hamlet displays greater resilience as he creates a whole plan to get revenge, unlike Oedipus who does not have a plan, and he is unsure how he will find the murderer. 

Oedipus and Hamlet both possess ambition throughout the plays. Oedipus states, "Do you know and will not say? Do you intend / to betray me and destroy the city?" (Sophocles 395-396). This shows how ambitious he is to save the city from the plagues. Oedipus blames Teiresias for betraying him and not telling him who the murderer is. This does not stop him from continuing to work hard to find who killed the King. Oedipus works hard, but he does not have a plan of how he will find the murderer. This reveals that he is determined to find the murderer and save the city. When Hamlet is having his soliloquy, he states: “Whether' tis nobler in the mind to suffer / The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune” (Shakespeare 3.1.65-66). Hamlet suffers through terrible events, and he is determined to work hard on a plan to kill Claudius. He drives himself insane thinking and loses someone he loves along the way. All this leads him to decide if he should kill his uncle. This quotation is significant as he questions himself if it is better, he suffers or if he should end his life and not have to deal with this pain. The theme of revenge is shown here as he must suffer to get his revenge. Hamlet shows superior resilience as he is going through so much to get payback for his father. Evidently, Hamlet shows greater resilience since he hides his suffering. On the other hand, Oedipus tries to work hard but blames Teiresias. 

Both Oedipus and Hamlet experience tragic fate. They both try to change their fate, but they cannot do anything to change it. Oedipus left the city because he was scared that his prophecy might be true. The prophecy stated, "You will kill your father, / the one who gave you life!" (Sophocles 874-875). So, on his way to the next city, he ended up killing his own father. This quotation is important as it foreshadowed that Oedipus would kill his own father. This is tragic as he tried to do everything, he could, but he could not change his fate. The theme of fate versus free will is shown throughout the play. Oedipus' prophecy is his fate, but he decides not to listen to his prophecy. Oedipus uses his free will to not believe his fate, as he believes he can escape it. In the end he realizes that he was blinded to the truth, and he should have realized the truth. Hamlet's father died, which caused him to kill many characters, lose his love of his life, and cause him anger. The ghost tells Hamlet, "The serpent that did sting thy father’s life / Now wears his crown" (Shakespeare 1.5.46-47). This quote is an allusion as it alludes to the snake from Eden in Adam and Eve. Shakespeare compares Claudius to the snake, like how he stole the crown from Hamlet’s father. This quotation also uses imagery to paint a picture in the reader's mind of the serpent wearing the crown. Hamlet finds out that his uncle killed his father, so he wants to get even with his uncle. Hamlet loved his father, and when he died, it was incredibly challenging for him. He expresses his love for his father by murdering his uncle. He has a tragic fate as he cannot change what happened with his father. Both Hamlet and Oedipus experience tragic fates, but Hamlet shows greater resilience as he decides to get revenge. Oedipus thought he could run away from his prophecy, but in the end he could not. 

Individuals are all born with different strengths and weaknesses. Some of us can endure more than others. Ourselves can look at both Oedipus and Hamlet at plotting revenge, scheming to harm others, and turning their backs on the ones that they love. Ultimately, in the end Hamlet comes out on top as having greater resilience.