Oedipus
Rex and King Lear are both
tragedies that force an audience to sympathize with the main characters. Lear
and Oedipus are both tragic heroes who ultimately have a downfall. Both kings
are forced to face losing their children, losing their respectability and their
throne. The difference is Lear brings about his own downfall, while Oedipus’
fate destroys him in the end.
To answer the question of which play is more
tragic, I feel Oedipus wins by a landslide. It has been stated that Oedipus is
the villain of the play, because he is the reason for the plague, and it is
because of his mistakes that the city of Thebes is in turmoil. However, I believe
that fate is the true villain. I sympathize more for Oedipus because his flaws
are not his fault and what happened was an accident. He had no intention of
killing his father. Speaking of Oepidus’ father Laius, Jocasta states, “This
very man has died by chance and not by him.” Fate killed Laius and caused
Oedipus to marry his mother. I feel the genuine pollution of the city is fate.
The fact that his mistakes were out of his hands and not his fault proves him
to be a victim of tragic fate; therefore, I pity him.
Lear, on the other hand, consciously
made mistakes in the beginning of the play that resulted in his destruction. He
makes the mistake of giving all of his power to his scheming daughters, and
ignores the warnings of Cordelia, Kent, and The Fool. He entrustes the wrong
people and made wrong and selfish decisions. Lear exclaims, “I am bound upon a
wheel of fire.” Fate does play a role in Lear’s downfall; however, his
misfortune was caused by his inappropriate actions. I feel he somewhat deserved
his tragic end, as opposed to Oedipus.
I feel Oedipus was innocent and undeserving
of his suffering. Thus, Oedipus Rex
is the greater tragedy.
After further reflection, I believe I may have changed my original opinion of which play is the greater tragedy. I felt that through Oedipus’ unchanging and inevitable fate, this led the audience to mourn for him. I’m beginning to think that King Lear is more tragic than Oedipus for one significant reason; there is more of a humane aspect in Lear as opposed to the fairy-tale nature of Oedipus Rex.
ReplyDeleteThe characters and storyline of King Lear are far more realistic and believable. I feel the setup and setting of Oedipus is less relatable and far-fetched. Not only this, but I feel that King Lear has more human characteristics that can move an audience on an emotional level. A reader may sympathize with Lear more, because he made a mistake. Human-beings make mistakes. Through Lear’s fault, one may be touched by this character, as opposed to the improbable innocence of Oedipus.