Oedipus Rex Vs. Hamlet Essay, Research Paper

In the drama Hamlet: Prince of Denmark, a immature prince is in hunt of the truth behind his male parent s slaying. At first, Hamlet sees the shade of his asleep male parent and it tells him he was murdered by the now current male monarch, Hamlet s Uncle Claudius. Hamlet has to believe about how he will acquire retaliation for his male parents decease, but because his lone cognition came from a shade that merely Hamlet heard speak, he is hesitating to acquire his retaliation rapidly. Hamlet does everything he can to demo others the truth he knows. It is of import to Hamlet that he gets retaliation but he besides wants to torture the male monarch and demo everyone the truth. Hamlet knows his choler toward his Uncle may do confusion in his opinion of the truth so he is hesitating to kill him right off. Hamlet second-guesses himself throughout the drama merely to stop up deceasing, but non before he kills Claudius.

In Oedipus the male monarch, a kid is born to a royal twosome, this male monarch and queen privation to cognize how their kid will be in the hereafter. So they ask an prophet to state them the hereafter and it tells them he will kill his male parent and get married his female parent. They have the kid taken off to be killed, so they save themselves, but alternatively the kid ends up in a new palace and is raised by another twosome as their ain kid. They ne’er tell Oedipus that he is non their ain. When Oedipus hears he is to kill his male parent and get married his female parent, he leaves his parents and hunts for a new abode. Except he meets up with a adult male on the route and kills him. He so finds a palace that is being terrorized by a sphinx and answers the conundrum it asks. He so marries the Queen and regulations over the land. In the terminal, the metropolis is threatened by a

pestilence that the prophet said will discontinue when the metropolis gets rid of the 1 who murdered the male monarch, Oedipus announces that the liquidator will be punished. However, while seeking for the truth Oedipus discovers that he is the liquidator and the boy of his married woman. In the terminal, Oedipus finds his wife/mother hanged herself, so in the thick of all this Oedipus gouges his eyes out and banished himself from the palace.

In both these dramas, truth played a major function in the result. Hamlet became so engrossed in the truth ; he was excessively hesitating and continued to second-guess himself throughout the drama. He may hold become male monarch but because truth was so of import to him Hamlet ended up deceasing every bit good. As for Oedipus, cognizing the truth may non be all it is cracked up to be. Would Oedipus hold truly murdered his male parent and get married his female parent if they had non asked the prophet about the hereafter? These dramas question the power of truth but is it better to cognize what is skulking behind every door, or is it better to be funny about it, but ne’er really seek it.

Knowing the truth was really powerful in both these dramas and it had a major consequence on the results of both narratives. Possibly by cognizing the hereafter the truth is set. If the hereafter remains unknown than so will truth. Truth was a determinant factor in both results of the dramas. If the truth were known before, it would hold changed the full facet of each drama.

Plants Cited

& # 168 ; Shakespeare, William. Hamlet: Prince of Denmark.

& # 183 ; The Essential theater 7th edition

& # 183 ; Oscar G. Brocket, Robert J. Ball. Harcourt Brace College Publishers

& # 183 ; Pg. 114

& # 183 ; Sophocles. Oedipus the King

& # 183 ; Pg. 71