The More Tragic Tragedy

Both Oedipus Rex and King Lear deal with tragedies families are forced to face. In questioning which one of the two is more tragic is difficult. Both contain tragic aspects such as suffering and death as well as a moral at the end of the story. However, it is clear that the theme of fate creates a horrible web of events in Oedipus Rex that make it far more tragic that that of King Lear.

In Oedipus Rex, the reader experiences the tragic fate of the main character, Oedipus. Oedipus was predestined by the Greek gods to kill his father and sleep with his mother, both terrible actions. It is told that both Oedipus and his parents acted in ways to stop these events from happening. The result of these actions was, instead, the cause of how Oedipus ultimately killed his biological father Laius and slept with his biological mother, Jocasta. Not only did this occur, but Oedipus also had children with his mother, a truly horrible and unthinkable action. Oedipus was blind sighted when he found out. The reality of his fate caused him to gouge out his eyeballs stating that he did not deserve to see after committing such a moral crime. The play ends with Oedipus mourning while holding his children who, technically, are a crime against nature. Oedipus requests that his children be taken away from him because he does not deserve their love or anyone else’s love. He states, “Stop, my children, weep no more. Here where the dark forces store up kindness both for living and the dead, there is no room for grieving here—it might bring down the anger of the gods” (1970-1974). This is truly heart wrenching as he had no control over his life, fate took over.

King Lear is different in my opinion. The events that occur in King Lear are not completely an act of fate. Lear is the one who decided to split his kingdom in three for his daughters. When Cordelia does not announce her love for Lear, he takes away her share of the land. This causes the chaos that ensues throughout the story. In the end of the story Lear is aware of his wrong doing that caused all of his problems. He mourns Cordelia’s death and asks God, “Pray you, undo this button. Thank you, sir” (v.iii.373). He wants to undo what he has caused. It is sad and tragic how the story plays out; however, it is not as sad as Oedipus Rex.