Tragedies of Oedipus Rex and Hamlet - Assignment Example

College: English Literature Paper 3 Introduction In exploring the ic Greek tragedies of “Oedipus Rex” and “Hamlet”, as well as, the classic American play “Death of a Salesman”, the predominant idea appear to be that of tragedy and heroism. This heroism-tragedy complex is continually developed in the three plays using the principal platforms of suffering, defiance of authority and violence. Therefore, the principal concern in this analytical paper is to examine literary aspects that make the protagonists in these plays tragic heroes. Based on different works of literature, the principal attribute that identifies a tragic protagonist is acute suffering. In these tragedies’ context, the heroes meet their suffering mostly due to defying some level of authority. This defiance is depicted through physical violence, in the case of “Hamlet” and “Oedipus”, while it is evident in form of verbal violence in the “Death of a Salesman”. It is the violence and consequent suffering of the protagonists that unveils their fundamental attributes. In essence, violence makes it possible for the hero characters in these plays to impact changes in their lives, as well as, those around them. Use of violent scenes, therefore, effectively meets the authors’ intent of showing the negative attributes of violence. In Sophocles’ play, “Oedipus Rex”, violence is a predominant theme. Violence tendencies are instigated by Tiersias’ prophecy to Oedipus that, he will at one point kill his father and sleep with his mother. Oedipus refuses to accept Tiersias’ prediction, upon when the prophet tells him “have you eyes and do you not see your own damnation?" Tiersias also tells Oedipus that "those now clear-seeing eyes shall then be darkened." (Sophocles 1.ii.48). Oedipus gets agitated and curses at the prophet, he also threatens to slay him, and wishes that he could escape from Thebes. This concern and doubt is evident when Oedipus states “...must I not fear my mother’s bed... if only my mother were not still alive! But she is alive. I cannot help my dread.” (Sophocles I.ii.51).However, Oedipus stays on and the first part of the prophecy comes to pass, since he kills his father. This happens at an intersection, when his father’s guards attack him and he joins them only to die at Oedipus’ hands. He later marries his mother making Tiersias’ second segment of the prophecy come to pass. All this while, Oedipus remains metaphorically blind to his misdeeds. However, he can no longer bear his pain and agony, so he resorts to violence yet again. He cannot withstand the knowledge that he is his father’s murderer and that he has been intimate with his mother. Oedipus takes pins from his advisor; Jacosta’s, dress and stabs his eyes, thus becoming physically blind. Oedipus does this with all his might, accentuating the level of violence, equivalent to the loath that he holds for himself. The irony stems from the fact that, after stabbing his eyes and becoming blind, he gets to evaluate things in his mind, in a clearer perspective. He recognizes that throughout his life, he has turned a blind eye to the truth, for instance, not knowing that he is an adopted child by the Corinthian guardians and by defying or failing to heed the prophet’s advice. Clearly, Oedipus’ violent and unconventional life culminates in his physical blindness, but also fosters mental and spiritual enlightenment. Therefore, his violent tendencies however detrimental, chart way for a clearer perspective in life. Nevertheless, the entire series of events would not have happened if Oedipus listened to the prophet, since he could have avoided killing his father thus negating consequential impacts. Shakespeare’s "Hamlet", is yet another excellent example of a violent tragedy. The play’s hero is constantly preoccupied with the notion of revenge. Hamlet is bent on murdering Claudius, his stepfather, in order to punish him for murdering his father, the preceding Danish king. This obsession forms the play’s principal and it engages Hamlet too much for him to even focus on other significant issues like, his academic work and love for Ophelia. The intriguing factor is that, Hamlet’s yearn for violence is purely based on revenge and he is not even interested in taking his rightful place on the throne. Hamlet is also not keen on bringing Claudius to justice or gaining additional wealth, since his only motivation is the strong yearning to avenge his father’s death. This obsession is evident from the statement he makes, when questioning his role as a responsible son; “Am I a coward? Why? What an ass am I?” (II.ii.598-614). Hamlet contemplates on hatching a revenge plan to prove that he is not a coward and he is a man of action rather than words. The play clearly illustrates the negative effects of revenge driven violence, by showing the dire consequences suffered by Hamlet in his attempt to exact vengeance. Some of these effects include diseases, destruction and death. It is also imperative to note that, Claudius’ death is not momentous, in comparison to the deaths of the play’s innocent characters. Vengeance exerted by Hamlet literally destroys him, as well as, innocent people around him. Evidently, Shakespeare’s use of violence in this play is absolutely imperative. He powerfully conveys the negative results of vengeance and violence, through the protagonist, Hamlet. Had the tragic hero refrained from violently killing his uncle, Claudius, the innocent people around him would not have been harmed. In “Death of a Salesman”, Arthur Miller illustrates the ruthless and caustic atmosphere of violence in the business of protagonist, Willy Loman. This kind of violence is depicted in many scenes by Miller. First and foremost the Loman family deals with all the anger that is affecting Willy, by painfully listening to his aggressive and abusive outbursts, as well as, the violent uproars. Willy’s way of life is different from that of other people in his family. He also seems to be tired with the misleading belief that, when a person is well then it is possible for him to capture the “American Dream” (Miller 21). Miller is aggressive in his actions and also uses insensitive language to transfer aggravation to his family and business partners. Willy is suffering from personal agony of betrayal and abandonment. He is striving to hold onto his dignity, but the world he is living in does not give him the satisfaction of a good life. This is therefore, expressed by use of violent language, that forms a tense and hostile environment in the Loman household. Willy’s abhorrence to the business world reveals so much annoyance towards the society. However, as much as one would like to condemn the society for being unfair to Willy, it is imperative to note that he is also arrogant, disloyal and foolishly proud. The violence is also a sign of desperation in Willy’s life. This is because the American dream had not turned out as expected. There is too much hatred towards life because when he compares his present life to his childhood life, life’s changes are extremely unfair to him. Miller attempts to show that violence does not have any positive effects, since Willy’s downfall comes after his lifelong trend of deception, arrogance, and violent outbursts towards his colleagues and family. Willy’s pursuit of perfection, which is in total disregard for those around him, culminates in a violent car accident death. In conclusion, the three plays depict a lot of violence as shown by the different characters. All the authors attempt to show that violence of any kind, whether physical or verbal, has no positive effect. For instance, in “Oedipus Rex” the protagonist end up being physically blind, while in “Hamlet” and “Death of a Salesperson”, the protagonists and those around them suffer from the adverse effects of violence. Works Cited Miller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman. New York: The Viking Press, 1981. Print. Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Hamlet. London: Simon & Brown. 2011. Print. Sophocles: Oedipus Rex. London: Digireads.com. 2009. Print. Read More