Introduction
Shakespeare and Sophocles present the audience with two complex main characters who share a particular passion for discovering the truth, which ultimately brings them to their doom. Shakespeare’s tragic hero in Hamlet has an eye-opening encounter with a ghost that leads him to seek vengeance. Oedipus prides himself on being a great ruler as he decides to find his predecessor’s murderer. While both men embark on a tough and surprising journey of seeking the truth, Hamlet appears to be the one capable of embracing and accepting such truth, demonstrating a certain level of resilience regardless of circumstances.
Stories of rejection and acceptance
Oedipus finds himself conflicted between the duty he has to his people as their King and his inability to deliver a promise made to them as it threatens not only his rule but his very understanding of the world around him. Oedipus eventually becomes the King of Thebes overnight as he manages to solve the Sphinx curse. When a new crisis emerges, Oedipus is quick to react by sending his brother-in-law to an oracle to find a way to stop a terrible plague epidemic coming to Thebes.
The only way to put an end to this, according to a Delphian prophet, is to punish his predecessor’s killer. The story takes a turn as it is revealed Oedipus is the killer and, even more surprisingly, the last King is his father, and Oedipus’ current wife Jocasta, is his biological mother. Oedipus lives in denial and is not willing to accept the truth. He questions several people, their testimonies indicating the King’s fault, but he keeps running from the truth, rejecting any explanation that does not suit his narrative.
Hamlet, on the other hand, does not fear the truth and is much more open-minded and flexible in his thinking. As a young prince who has just lost his father, Hamlet finds the fact that his mother marries his uncle very quickly, quite strange and unnerving. His concerns are solidified as he meets the ghost of his father, who asks his son to “revenge his foul and most unnatural murder” (Shakespeare 30). He orchestrates an intricate plan to expose his uncle’s murderous tendencies.
Even though Hamlet already knows the truth and wants nothing more than to avenge his father, he often hesitates and tends to become passive, waiting for the right moment that never seems to come. Nevertheless, it is clear Hamlet has enough courage to come to terms with his reality and look for ways to transform it.
Obstacles from inside as well as outside
Inner struggles and the loss of identity
Oedipus’ many flaws subject him to being controlled by his circumstances. His pride stands in the way of objectivity and acceptance. If at the beginning of the play, Oedipus proclaims that “Everybody everywhere knows who I am: Oedipus. King.” (Sophocles 6), then by the end of it, his name becomes a curse as his identity changes from a beloved king to a king-killer who marries his mother. The fear of an identity crisis puts Oedipus over the edge as he continues to make one hasty decision after another. The revelation that Oedipus did kill his father is both a sign of Oedipus’ mission being accomplished as well as a start for his ultimate doom. He achieved his goals but lost almost everything, including his wife, identity, and even his eyesight.
Importance of strategy
As for Hamlet, he faces a great number of challenges orchestrated by his uncle and his close circle, but he manages to overcome those hardships as well as keep a promise to his father by carefully planning and strategizing his actions. Hamlet’s uncle Claudius arranges a couple of attempts on Hamlet’s life but instead goes down in defeat because of a series of balanced psychological strategies implemented by Hamlet, who mentions that he plans to observe his uncle meticulously before taking action (Shakespeare 63).
Hamlet’s fate seems not so different from Oedipus’, however, the prince completes his mission on his terms before dying as he strikes Claudius with a poisonous sword and makes him drink from a poisoned cup. The vengeance his father dreamed of is no longer a dream. Thus, Hamlet’s pensive mind and resilient character aid him in navigating through hardships and eventually achieving his goals.
Conclusion
Hamlet and Oedipus’s characters serve as an example of what a quest for truth can lead to and how differently the process of discovering a secret story might be depending on one’s state of mind and specific actions. In this case, rejecting the truth leads to a desperate search for a new identity and an inability to think objectively. Disconnecting from the truth causes Oedipus, for example, to cultivate an abstract reality for himself full of illusions and fantasies. Embracing facts and evidence help Hamlet become more confident in his assumptions and theories. Confidence and careful planning, in turn, make Hamlet more resilient and flexible to the misfortunes life keeps throwing at him. Recovering quickly from difficulties comes to be one of Hamlet’s unique talents.
Works Cited
Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Edited by Roma Gill, Oxford UP, 2002.
Sophocles. Oedipus the King. Translated by Stephen Berg, and Diskin Clay, Oxford UP, 1988.