In Oedipus the King by Sophocles and Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller each playwright constructs a main characters who despite being written in different eras act as a cautionary example due to a common characteristic. Through the similar use of symbolism and irony as well as the contrasting view of what it means to be a tragic hero, Sophocles and Miller put forward the idea that an individual’s misfortune is closely related to lack of self-consciousness.
The similar use of symbolism allows for a comparison regarding both characters misfortune. Translated Oedipus means swollen foot, the name is especially symbolic because of the scar on Oedipus feet consequential to Laïos piercing Oedipus ankles when he was only three days old; “In so doing, however, he inadvertently gives the child the defining physical characteristic that gives rise to his name and ultimately serves as the proof of his identity as the son of Laius” (Eric Dugdale 430). As Oedipus searches for Laïos killer there are more than a few clues that point to him as the …show more content…
In Oedipus the King, Oedipus curses himself as he fails to realize he is in fact Laïos killer, “As for the criminal, I pray to God / Whether it be a lurking thief or one of a number / I pray that the man’s life be consumed in evil and wretchedness” (Parados. 29-31). Similarly Willy kills himself to prove to his sons he was always right due to all the people he expects to come to his funeral as well as the insurance money Biff will receive that would again make him superior to Bernard, “Can you imagine that magnificence with twenty thousand dollars in his pocket? Imagine? When the mail comes he’ll be ahead of Bernard again! Oh Ben, I always knew one way or another we were gonna make it, Biff and I!” (Miller 1828-1829). However, in the end the lack of self-conciseness of both characters only worsens the outcome of their
The similar use of symbolism allows for a comparison regarding both characters misfortune. Translated Oedipus means swollen foot, the name is especially symbolic because of the scar on Oedipus feet consequential to Laïos piercing Oedipus ankles when he was only three days old; “In so doing, however, he inadvertently gives the child the defining physical characteristic that gives rise to his name and ultimately serves as the proof of his identity as the son of Laius” (Eric Dugdale 430). As Oedipus searches for Laïos killer there are more than a few clues that point to him as the …show more content…
In Oedipus the King, Oedipus curses himself as he fails to realize he is in fact Laïos killer, “As for the criminal, I pray to God / Whether it be a lurking thief or one of a number / I pray that the man’s life be consumed in evil and wretchedness” (Parados. 29-31). Similarly Willy kills himself to prove to his sons he was always right due to all the people he expects to come to his funeral as well as the insurance money Biff will receive that would again make him superior to Bernard, “Can you imagine that magnificence with twenty thousand dollars in his pocket? Imagine? When the mail comes he’ll be ahead of Bernard again! Oh Ben, I always knew one way or another we were gonna make it, Biff and I!” (Miller 1828-1829). However, in the end the lack of self-conciseness of both characters only worsens the outcome of their