King Oedipus and Prince Hamlet

There are a number of similarities and differences between King Oedipus and Prince Hamlet. Both Hamlet and Oedipus are victims of fate, but Hamlet's father is murdered by his uncle Claudius while Oedipus kills his own father, if unwittingly. Hamlet and Oedipus can both avoid their fate, but each believes himself to be the only source of rectifying matters. Both Thebes and Denmark are in turmoil. Thebes is wracked by plague and other ills, while something is "rotten in the state of Denmark" (Shakespeare I.iv.90). If there is anything that Hamlet and Oedipus share in common, it is their individual belief that it is up to them to save their respective states.

Both Hamlet and Oedipus are concerned about the deteriorating conditions in Denmark and Thebes respectively. Hamlet is visited by the ghost of his murdered father, who informs him his uncle Claudius murdered him and then married Hamlet's mother, Queen Gertrude. As son and as former prince of Denmark, Hamlet views it as his fate to set things right even if he does not relish the task, "O cursed spite / That ever I was born to set it right" (Shakespeare I.v.191-92). As King of Thebes, a city suffering from plague, chaos and ruin, Oedipus believes it is his duty to discover the murderer of his father to restore Thebes. Like Horatio tries to prevent Hamlet from avenging his father's death, fearing for his life, the Tiresias warns Oedipus to forego his hunt for the murderer of his fa

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his own hand killed his father. Hamlet is urged by the ghost of his father to avenge his death, while Oedipus insists on finding Laius' murderer. Yet each is propelled forward by a form of fate against which there is no turning back. While both are determined to avenge their fathers' murders to save their respective states, Oedipus is more culpable than Hamlet with respect to his fate. References Shakespeare, W. (2001). Hamlet. Ed. A. R. Braunmuller. New York: Penguin Books. Sophocles. (2005). Oedipus The King. Translated by Bernard Knox. New York: Pocket Books. Hamlet and Oedipus Introduction In Shakespeare's Hamlet Prince of Denmark and Sophocles' Oedipus The King, King Hamlet and King Laius respectively have been murdered. The deaths of these kings has prompted action in their respective sons, Prince Hamlet and King Oedipus. By the end of each drama, Hamlet will die and King Oedipus will blind himself and face exile from Thebes. While Hamlet and Oedipus share a good deal in common, Hamlet's death is set into motion by other human beings beyond his control. Oedipus, in contrast, is complicit in the death of Laius and his tragic ending is set into motion by the gods. Body When the ghost of King Hamlet inform

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