Introduction
The history of the genre’s growth began with the drama of ancient Greece. All individuals today descended from this development in European civilization. Therefore, looking back to understand many of today’s dramatic trends and findings can be highly helpful. The issue of fate and the freedom of human choice is the fundamental issue of the tragedy Oedipus Rex.
The people of ancient Greece were greatly agitated by the concept of doom, because they felt they had no freedom, were mere props in the hands of the gods and their fate was decided. Furthermore, the Moirai, who measure, determine, and tear off the thread of life, were responsible for their survival. By giving the protagonist dignity and a quarrel with his Fate, Sophocles, on the other hand, injects a polemic into his work. Aeschylus fights Fate rather than accepting it with resignation. The Fate from which one cannot escape is another reoccurring topic in the 2003 movie Oldboy. Thus, Oldboy and King Oedipus are comparable since they have the same idea.
Fate in Oedipus Rex
When Laius, the king of Thebes, hears through an oracle that his impending son will kill him and marry Queen Jocasta, the story of King Oedipus officially begins. To avoid this, Laius commands a shepherd to drag the newborn child into the mountains, where he will perish. However, Laius decides to help the boy at the last minute and gives him to a local shepherd, who subsequently gives him to the childless Corinthian king Polybus (Sophocles 8).
The boy learns of his adoption later, when he is an adult. He then visits the oracle to learn the truth, and the oracle informs him: “Whose son you are, you are destined to kill your father and marry your mother” (Sophocles 14). He then chooses in fear not to go back to Corinth and leaves. He saw a chariot at the intersection with an older man sitting and whipping the horses. Oedipus struck the older adult with his staff when he failed to shift to the side, causing him to fall to the ground dead. Oedipus arrived in Thebes, where the Sphinx was seated and riddled everyone.
If they were unable to solve the riddle, he was murdered. Oedipus deciphered the riddle with ease, defending Thebes from the Sphinx. He was crowned king by the Thebans and wed Queen Jocasta. After a while, the city experienced an epidemic. The oracle foretells that the city can be rescued by identifying King Laius’ killer. In the end, Oedipus discovers the murderer—who is also himself.
The ancient tragedy genre includes Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex. Personal conflict is a defining element of the tragedy, which leads to the protagonist losing essential life values. The reader has feelings that lift him above the ordinary world as he sees the characters’ anguish through his own eyes.
In classical tragedy, the dichotomy between happiness and unhappiness is commonly portrayed. A joyful existence becomes unhappy when filled with wrongdoing, retaliation, and punishment (Sophocles 12). The oddity of Sophocles’ tragedies is that all of the characters’ destinies are tragic, not only the protagonist, who meets a painful end. The dreadful Fate is the primary topic of ancient theatre.
The drama Oedipus Rex is the most egregious example. Man is powerless over Fate; he lacks free will. However, in Sophocles’ tragedy, the protagonist fights against predestination and strives to change what has already been written. He has a point of view, but therein lays the tragedy: because the uprising against the system was also planned, it was brutally put down (Sophocles 9).
The rebel confronts Fate, but Fate pulls a terrible prank on him, making him question why he must perform the necessary actions. Oedipus moves out of his adoptive parents’ house rather than his own. His leaving is a runaway from his Fate, placing him on this course. Furthermore, when he blinds himself, he also goes against Fate, but the Oracle foresaw this move.
Fate in Oldboy
Oh Dae-Su, the movie’s protagonist, is a cheery and entertaining guy. He enjoys drinking and getting wasted, and one day, on his daughter’s third birthday, he goes to the police station while inebriated. He leaves late at night, but his adventures continue. He is taken hostage by unidentified assailants and imprisoned for fifteen years in a one-room flat. He had only seen the prison walls for fifteen years (Boman 932). Through a gap in the bottom of the door, he receives food.
A sleeping gas is released into the room as he gets his hair cut and is cleaned up. He awakens on the roof of a high-rise fifteen years after the subsequent gas therapy session, still inside a black bag. The man has messy hair, an ironed shirt, and a pricey suit, giving him a strange little appearance.
The protagonist naturally has many questions about the unknowns that make his experience unimpressive. He has been training hard in his one-room prison in anticipation of this; now, the search for them all and his brutal retaliation against them begins. The Korean Count of Monte Cristo is determined to learn the truth despite all obstacles, including fights, pursuits, sex, hypnosis, pulled teeth, severed tongues, and severed arms. He seeks retribution and wants to know why they mistreated him.
As quickly and twistedly as a raging mountain river, events unfold. The author’s inventiveness takes aback the viewer and how twists the plot with a distinct Asian perversity, leaving them unable to predict what will happen next. However, the film is so fantastic that it can match any good work of cinematic art.
Comparison of Oedipus Rex and Oldboy
Having analyzed the two works, Oedipus Rex and Oldboy, one can conclude that their themes are similar. Comparing the film to the protagonist of Sophocles’ play, the similarities are significant since the intended revenge came out so irrational and insane. Moreover, it turns out that it is not the protagonist who takes revenge, but instead that he receives terrible revenge. It was predicted that Oedipus would kill his father and marry his mother, and the prediction was accurate. When all was revealed, Oedipus’ mother (and wife) hanged herself, and he gouged out his eyes. Oldboy is a reinterpretation of Oedipus Rex, retaining the classic theme of the inevitable course of Fate and the futility of resisting it.
Moreover, the tongue’s self-denial is similar to Oedipus’s, the price he paid for his transgressions. This makes sense compared to the previous work because Oh Dae Su’s literal use of language in the previous dialogue served as a significant formative event. Similarly, Oldboy discovers that he has had incest with his daughter after he is released from prison and conducts his investigation, like Oedipus. Only Oedipus stripped him of his eyes, and Oldboy, powerless to change anything, cuts off his tongue. The will of the gods leads Oedipus to the climax, but even the film’s main antagonist cannot be called human. He is too supernatural and insidious in his vengeance.
It is worth mentioning, however, that these works have differences due to the times they were created. This may seem significant, but the theme and cross-cutting idea remain intact. Like the film’s protagonist, Oedipus does not hesitate or doubt before making decisions, acting immediately and clearly according to morality. However, this integrity was a gift from Fate, who had already calculated everything. It cannot be tricked or gotten around, and it is claimed to have given the heroic virtues as a reward.
Conclusion
As a result, both Oldboy and Oedipus Rex possess the same overarching narrative. The theme is certainty, or the inability to escape Fate and oblivion. The protagonist moves towards the macabre, which is inevitable throughout the movie, and because he is powerless to avoid it, he commits a deadly error.
Greek tragedy, on the other hand, is infused with the best psychology, and the play’s significance is not even found in Fate but instead in man’s battle with Fate, in the very act of rebellion, which is doomed to fail but is no less brave because of it. It is a genuine drama rife with internal and interpersonal issues. Sophocles conveys the characters’ intense emotions, and his writing has a psychologism-like quality. This is the similarity of the two gorgeous works; however, because of the differences in the times, some events look different but have the same meaning.
Works Cited
Boman, Björn. “From oldboy to burning: Han in South Korean films.” Culture & Psychology 26.4 (2020): 919-932. Web.
Sophocles, E. A. Oedipus Rex. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1982.