The Foundling & the Myth of Oedipus

There are undeniable correspondences between the two stories in the areas designated, but the overall impression of this reader is that these similarities should not mislead us into any sense that the two works are equal in quality or depth of tragedy. Beside the elegantly tragic tale of Oedipus, "The Foundling" comes off as a complex, but absurdly comic farce.

On first glance, in part because of this great difference in depth of effect between the two stories, there do not appear to be many points of comparison which will yield meaningful light on either work. However, looking at the stories objectively, there do begin to come clear certain correspondences. Oedipus himself can be compared to Piachi. Both men can be said to be generally good at heart, and both make sudden, rash judgments which come back to haunt them and ruin their lives.

At the same time, we must admit that there is a great difference between Oedipus' murder of his father and the mercy Piachi shows the little plague-diseased boy. In terms of the conception of the role of chance or fortune, however, we can argue that both sudden events were indeed the results of destiny

. . .
terms of the latter's deliberate destructive machinations against Piachi. Similarly, the blind Tiresias cannot fairly be compared with Nicolo or Xaviera, for all the prophet is doing is telling the truth, rather than taking action which creates the tragedy. On the other hand, we can certainly find a correspondence between the murdered father of Oedipus and the dead son of Piachi. Both the father and the son die as the result of impetuous actions taken by the protagonists, even though, as stated, Oedipus' action springs from arrogance and rage, while Piachi's springs from the sense of mercy and pity he feels for the sick boy. In both stories a plague plays a principle role, although in very different ways. The plague in the story by Von Kleist sets the tale in motion, but it is quickly forgotten. It is the plague-stricken Nicolo on the side of the road which draws the pity of Piachi, and it is the plague which takes the life of Piachi's son as the result of Piachi stopping for the sick boy on the side of the road. In Sophocles' play, on the other hand, the plague ius the sign of the gods' curse upon the city of Thebes, and it is the duty of Oedipus, the city's rich and powerful ruler, to discover the nature of this curse, thi
. . .

Some common words found in the essay are:
Oedipus Foundling, Piachi Oedipus, Accordingly Oedipus's, Oedipus---and/or Piachi---as, Von Kleist, Piachi Elvira, Nicolo Xaviera, Oedipus King, Marx Brothers-type, Von Kleist's, sick boy, chance fortune, von kleist, murder father, curse city, love dearly, actions protagonists, piachi oedipus, correspondences stories, sophocles' play,
Approximate Word count = 1638
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page)