The Greatest Tragedy

I found it very difficult to decide which play is the greater tragedy. A strong argument can be made for both King Lear and Oedipus Rex. King Lear is a tale of a heartbroken father whose daughters turned on him after he gave them his trust, and Oedipus Rex tells of an accidental incestuous relationship between a son and his mother.  Both prove to be greatly tragic. Oedipus Rex however, is in my opinion the most tragic play I have ever read.

When I thought about King Lear’s story, at points I found it hard to feel bad for King Lear. Yes his entire life proves to be a mess. Lear’s daughters are evil whores, his fool is a wiser man than he is, and he somehow managed to push away the only two people that actually gave a damn about him. This is very tragic and all, but then again isn’t it all his fault? Lear did not pull on my heartstrings too much when he spent the first act of the play sabotaging his entire life. After deciding to banish Cordelia, Lear says, “Better thou hadst not been born than not t’ have pleased me better” (Shakespeare line 269-261). Seriously, Lear? Cordelia is the only daughter that actually cared about him. I find it difficult to pity Lear when the whole tragedy is completely his fault.

I do not find it difficult to pity Oedipus Rex for a second of the play. This poor man is a good person who has saved Thebes from evil in the past. He genuinely cares about his city. It’s not Oedipus’ fault that he cannot control his own fate. While Lear had some control over his actions, Oedipus had absolutely none. His attempts to change his fate are useless and he is stuck with an already predetermined life. Even after he is being cast away to the city, Oedipus weeps for his children rather than himself. He says, “And I weep for you, although I cannot see you; contemplating the bitterness of your lives, the sort of life men will force you to live” (Sophocles line 1499-1501). Oedipus pities his children because he knows that their lives will be terrible now because of his mistakes. He is also eager to leave Thebes so that he may restore order and eliminate the pollution. Oedipus is an all around caring man who had no control over his fate while King Lear is a grumpy and short tempered old man who sabotaged the entirety of his life. I’m sorry Lear, but Oedipus deserves all of my pity.