Aristotle describes the word ‘tragedy’ as the fall of a character from a position of height. This fall can derive from a tragic flaw, which is typically an admirable characteristic that becomes so destructive it turns an individual into their own nemesis. A tragic flaw can either be tangible or intangible, but regardless it can bring someone to a very low point in his/her life. Two prime examples of this would be Oedipus the King and Prince Hamlet. Oedipus the King is an egotistical man dedicated to his people (and himself) with an excessive amount of pride. He embarks on a quest to discover who killed the King before him, but turns out it was Oedipus himself. Hamlet is an honorable prince who lives in a world stuck between black and white.
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Both Oedipus and Hamlet showcase these characteristics at the beginning of the play. These qualities reveal the genuinely good nature of the two men. They were determined to find the truth whether it be to remain loyal to their people, their fathers, or even themselves. However, these qualities turned into tragic flaws because Oedipus and Hamlet allowed the determination to overrule their thoughts and actions enough to where they both were eventually pushed to the brink of insanity. Oedipus began the play doing it for himself, the Gods, and his people, but his determination to primarily do it for himself caused him to fall. He was so caught up in finding the answer that he wanted to hear that he willfully blinded himself to what was right in front of him. Many say that ignorance is bliss, but not in this case. Hamlet also spent the duration of the play determined to find answers. He sought justification and what “was right” for so long that he became mad in the process. This insanity molded his thoughts enough to where he was no longer acting mad, he was mad. This madness was a key variable in his fall, just like Oedipus the …show more content…
Oedipus is the doer whilst Hamlet is more so the thinker. Throughout the play Hamlet, Prince Hamlet faces this moral ambiguity. His uncertainty about what is right and what is wrong is what causes his delay in action when his father tells him to seek vengeance. Also, the ghost of his father is not tangible proof so Hamlet creates a “mouse trap play” in hopes that Claudius’s reaction will be hard evidence. He wants justification for his father, but before he does so he wants to make sure it is rightfully done. Oedipus, however, does what Oedipus wants to do. He has this excessive amount of pride that makes him believe he is equal to—if not higher than—the Gods. So when the prophet, the messenger of the Gods, tells Oedipus he is “the pollution of the land” he just wanders around in disbelief. He then allows his hubris to control his actions and lead him to his epic fall. He moves away from his “parents”, he kills men when one of them even slightly disrespects him, and he disregards the prophetic messages. While both men fall to rather low points, they fall because of different factors. Hamlet’s moral ambiguity is a huge obstacle for him while Oedipus’s hubris causes his spiral
Both Oedipus and Hamlet showcase these characteristics at the beginning of the play. These qualities reveal the genuinely good nature of the two men. They were determined to find the truth whether it be to remain loyal to their people, their fathers, or even themselves. However, these qualities turned into tragic flaws because Oedipus and Hamlet allowed the determination to overrule their thoughts and actions enough to where they both were eventually pushed to the brink of insanity. Oedipus began the play doing it for himself, the Gods, and his people, but his determination to primarily do it for himself caused him to fall. He was so caught up in finding the answer that he wanted to hear that he willfully blinded himself to what was right in front of him. Many say that ignorance is bliss, but not in this case. Hamlet also spent the duration of the play determined to find answers. He sought justification and what “was right” for so long that he became mad in the process. This insanity molded his thoughts enough to where he was no longer acting mad, he was mad. This madness was a key variable in his fall, just like Oedipus the …show more content…
Oedipus is the doer whilst Hamlet is more so the thinker. Throughout the play Hamlet, Prince Hamlet faces this moral ambiguity. His uncertainty about what is right and what is wrong is what causes his delay in action when his father tells him to seek vengeance. Also, the ghost of his father is not tangible proof so Hamlet creates a “mouse trap play” in hopes that Claudius’s reaction will be hard evidence. He wants justification for his father, but before he does so he wants to make sure it is rightfully done. Oedipus, however, does what Oedipus wants to do. He has this excessive amount of pride that makes him believe he is equal to—if not higher than—the Gods. So when the prophet, the messenger of the Gods, tells Oedipus he is “the pollution of the land” he just wanders around in disbelief. He then allows his hubris to control his actions and lead him to his epic fall. He moves away from his “parents”, he kills men when one of them even slightly disrespects him, and he disregards the prophetic messages. While both men fall to rather low points, they fall because of different factors. Hamlet’s moral ambiguity is a huge obstacle for him while Oedipus’s hubris causes his spiral