Tyrannus and the Dane
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TYRANNUS AND THE DANE
Oedipus Rex and Hamlet
William H Isom
Professor Scott DeGregorio
ENGL 230-002 Introduction to Literature
12/12/10
Tyrannus and the Dane
The Oxford English Dictionary defines tragedy as "that branch of dramatic art which treats of sorrowful or terrible events, in a serious and dignified style: opposite to comedy." This is a definition that has held true for what has become thousands of years. Ultimately, tragedy has not changed much since the Dionysia of Athens. The little nuances and things which element the individual writer's tragedies have, however, changed very much. There are distinct characteristics that identify, for instance, a Shakespearean tragedy, and make that tragedy diferent from one by Sophocles. Though they share many elements, the things that make Oedipus Rex, by Sophocles, and Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, by William Shakespeare, different are very important.
Sophocles's Oedipus Rex was considered by Aristotle to be a perfect representation of a tragedy. The way it flowed inexorably to it's peripiteia and anagnorisis was ideal. All of the elements of this tragedy were perfectly in line with his definition of a tragedy. This story is mainly a story of punishment, though it is also in line with popular stories at the time, such as man defying the plans that the Gods have for them. Oedipus is exiled for his crimes despite his being unaware, due to cruel twists of fate, that they were crimes and ultimately dies for them. "Think no longer that you are in command here, but rather think how, when you were, you served your own destruction." Oedipus is the perfect tragic hero; The model he gives is one that would be relevant to a hero even today. Oedipus is a hero that is unrelenting. He goes on in his quests no matter what he hears about his chosen path being dangerous or unfavorable.
Oedipus was the swollen footed baby that solved the riddle of the sphinx and attained power that no man in thebes could equal. He was told that he would kill his father and sleep with his mother. He hears news of his father's death and he is elated, since he knows that he did not kill the man, and thus, the gods and the oracle at Delphi was proven wrong. In perfect irony the peripeteia reveals that the man in question was only his adoptive father, and it is revaled shortly thereafter that the man he killed on the road was his real father, King Laius, and husband to Oedipus's current wife, Iokaste, making her his mother as well as his wife. This revelation is the anagnorisis that Aristotle speaks of in the Poetics.
Hamlet is another nearly perfect and perpetually relevant tragedy. When one thinks of tragedy today, it is likely that they think of the works of William Shakespeare. Hamlet, is also a story of punishment. It has some extra facets though, one of which being revenge: a very popular theme at the time of its writing. Hamlet is a story about a son wanting revenge for his father's wrongful death. It is in line with the Shakespearean tragedy model of the hero's punishment by death for slaughtering an innocent.
Hamlet features a different kind of hero, from both tragedies at the time it was written, and from classical Greek tragedies like Oedipus Rex. Hamlet is not a big war hero or a soldier returning from the front, or an established king or any such thing. Hamlet is a plain old college student in town for his father's funeral, and is not particularly strong or heroic. In the beginning of the play, he is practically the opposite of heroic. His only desire before meeting the ghost of his father is to get back to his university, Wittenberg.
The mistreatment of innocent characters by the heroes of Shakespearean tragedies is a common thread that binds the works together. Romeo kills Tybalt, Macbeth kills Duncan and Banquo, Lear banishes Cordelia, and Hamlet kills, as his innocent, Polonius. He ultimately dies for this transgression, much in the way that Oedipus died for his, but I would argue that Oedipus died for much more than simply the death of an innocent, such as his incestuous relationship. By the scale of Oedipus, Hamlet died for a mere trifle.
Both plays have the things Aristotle valued in a work of tragedy. They both have action that leads to a peripiteia, they both follow their peripiteia with the anagnorisis(though it follows much more closely in Oedipus Rex than in Hamlet). Both plays attempt to convey a lot of the same messages to the audience. Hamlet even displayed a few of the characteristics that Oedipus did, such as that he is implacable in his mission despite being warned of the danger.
There are differences though: important differences that are relevant to the time during which they were written. One of the main themes and, by extension, tragic elements of Oedipus Rex is a warning to not defy the Gods. They are more powerful than one can imagine and they become angry when one tries to circumvent their plans. Generally speaking, in Greek and Roman mythology, when one defies the Gods, they are punished, often in creative ways. When King Laius defies he is punished by the Gods with his son living and carrying out the prophecy given by the oracle at Delphi. Oedipus is similarly punished for his slaughter of King Laius and his incestuous relationship with his mother/wife Iokaste.When the truth is revealed in Thebes, the Thebans banish Oedipus from Thebes, and eventually his tragic life is ended. While many of the things that set up Oedpius Rex occur before the play begins, the play still has these very strong tragic elements of its own.
By contrast, the main theme in Hamlet seems to be caution. Hamlet warns against rash decisions at almost every opportunity. The main tragic element in Hamlet is the death of Prince Hamlet due to his killing of an innocent person, even though his quest has been fulfilled. Here, "innocent" means "not guilty of the crime in question" as opposed to a more general innocence. This story is very much a story of punishment, though not a divine punishment as in an ancient Greek tragedy, as God is not really present. It is a worldly, renaissance punishment brought about by the actions of the hero. He dies even though his plan has come to fruition and he has punished his wicked uncle. This death after the fact makes Prince Hamlet a tragic hero. Not only does he die, but his kingdom is taken over by his opposite member, Fortinbras, the man whose father his father conquered.
Their vision of the nature of tragedy is very similar, but distinctly different in a number of important ways. The two authors were influenced by what their societies thought was important at the time of their lives, and sought to tell a tale that would be culturally relevant and popular. The presence and absence of God(s) is another key factor that changes the meanings of the plays. While Hamlet mentions the Roman sun God Hyperion, it is not nearly the thematic presence of the Gods in Oedipus Rex, and is used simply as a comparison. There is also a difference in the scope or magnitude of the lesson one is supposed to garner from the plays themselves. "Now cracks a noble heart. Good night, sweet prince; And lfights of angels sing thee to thy rest."
TYRANNUS AND THE DANE
Oedipus Rex and Hamlet
William H Isom
Professor Scott DeGregorio
ENGL 230-002 Introduction to Literature
12/12/10
Tyrannus and the Dane
The Oxford English Dictionary defines tragedy as "that branch of dramatic art which treats of sorrowful or terrible events, in a serious and dignified style: opposite to comedy." This is a definition that has held true for what has become thousands of years. Ultimately, tragedy has not changed much since the Dionysia of Athens. The little nuances and things which element the individual writer's tragedies have, however, changed very much. There are distinct characteristics that identify, for instance, a Shakespearean tragedy, and make that tragedy diferent from one by Sophocles. Though they share many elements, the things that make Oedipus Rex, by Sophocles, and Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, by William Shakespeare, different are very important.
Sophocles's Oedipus Rex was considered by Aristotle to be a perfect representation of a tragedy. The way it flowed inexorably to it's peripiteia and anagnorisis was ideal. All of the elements of this tragedy were perfectly in line with his definition of a tragedy. This story is mainly a story of punishment, though it is also in line with popular stories at the time, such as man defying the plans that the Gods have for them. Oedipus is exiled for his crimes despite his being unaware, due to cruel twists of fate, that they were crimes and ultimately dies for them. "Think no longer that you are in command here, but rather think how, when you were, you served your own destruction." Oedipus is the perfect tragic hero; The model he gives is one that would be relevant to a hero even today. Oedipus is a hero that is unrelenting. He goes on in his quests no matter what he hears about his chosen path being dangerous or unfavorable.
Oedipus was the swollen footed baby that solved the riddle of the sphinx and attained power that no man in thebes could equal. He was told that he would kill his father and sleep with his mother. He hears news of his father's death and he is elated, since he knows that he did not kill the man, and thus, the gods and the oracle at Delphi was proven wrong. In perfect irony the peripeteia reveals that the man in question was only his adoptive father, and it is revaled shortly thereafter that the man he killed on the road was his real father, King Laius, and husband to Oedipus's current wife, Iokaste, making her his mother as well as his wife. This revelation is the anagnorisis that Aristotle speaks of in the Poetics.
Hamlet is another nearly perfect and perpetually relevant tragedy. When one thinks of tragedy today, it is likely that they think of the works of William Shakespeare. Hamlet, is also a story of punishment. It has some extra facets though, one of which being revenge: a very popular theme at the time of its writing. Hamlet is a story about a son wanting revenge for his father's wrongful death. It is in line with the Shakespearean tragedy model of the hero's punishment by death for slaughtering an innocent.
Hamlet features a different kind of hero, from both tragedies at the time it was written, and from classical Greek tragedies like Oedipus Rex. Hamlet is not a big war hero or a soldier returning from the front, or an established king or any such thing. Hamlet is a plain old college student in town for his father's funeral, and is not particularly strong or heroic. In the beginning of the play, he is practically the opposite of heroic. His only desire before meeting the ghost of his father is to get back to his university, Wittenberg.
The mistreatment of innocent characters by the heroes of Shakespearean tragedies is a common thread that binds the works together. Romeo kills Tybalt, Macbeth kills Duncan and Banquo, Lear banishes Cordelia, and Hamlet kills, as his innocent, Polonius. He ultimately dies for this transgression, much in the way that Oedipus died for his, but I would argue that Oedipus died for much more than simply the death of an innocent, such as his incestuous relationship. By the scale of Oedipus, Hamlet died for a mere trifle.
Both plays have the things Aristotle valued in a work of tragedy. They both have action that leads to a peripiteia, they both follow their peripiteia with the anagnorisis(though it follows much more closely in Oedipus Rex than in Hamlet). Both plays attempt to convey a lot of the same messages to the audience. Hamlet even displayed a few of the characteristics that Oedipus did, such as that he is implacable in his mission despite being warned of the danger.
There are differences though: important differences that are relevant to the time during which they were written. One of the main themes and, by extension, tragic elements of Oedipus Rex is a warning to not defy the Gods. They are more powerful than one can imagine and they become angry when one tries to circumvent their plans. Generally speaking, in Greek and Roman mythology, when one defies the Gods, they are punished, often in creative ways. When King Laius defies he is punished by the Gods with his son living and carrying out the prophecy given by the oracle at Delphi. Oedipus is similarly punished for his slaughter of King Laius and his incestuous relationship with his mother/wife Iokaste.When the truth is revealed in Thebes, the Thebans banish Oedipus from Thebes, and eventually his tragic life is ended. While many of the things that set up Oedpius Rex occur before the play begins, the play still has these very strong tragic elements of its own.
By contrast, the main theme in Hamlet seems to be caution. Hamlet warns against rash decisions at almost every opportunity. The main tragic element in Hamlet is the death of Prince Hamlet due to his killing of an innocent person, even though his quest has been fulfilled. Here, "innocent" means "not guilty of the crime in question" as opposed to a more general innocence. This story is very much a story of punishment, though not a divine punishment as in an ancient Greek tragedy, as God is not really present. It is a worldly, renaissance punishment brought about by the actions of the hero. He dies even though his plan has come to fruition and he has punished his wicked uncle. This death after the fact makes Prince Hamlet a tragic hero. Not only does he die, but his kingdom is taken over by his opposite member, Fortinbras, the man whose father his father conquered.
Their vision of the nature of tragedy is very similar, but distinctly different in a number of important ways. The two authors were influenced by what their societies thought was important at the time of their lives, and sought to tell a tale that would be culturally relevant and popular. The presence and absence of God(s) is another key factor that changes the meanings of the plays. While Hamlet mentions the Roman sun God Hyperion, it is not nearly the thematic presence of the Gods in Oedipus Rex, and is used simply as a comparison. There is also a difference in the scope or magnitude of the lesson one is supposed to garner from the plays themselves. "Now cracks a noble heart. Good night, sweet prince; And lfights of angels sing thee to thy rest."