Oedipus the King & Death of a Salesman
The tragic heroes of SophoclesÆ Oedipus the King and Arthur MillerÆs Death of a Salesman, Oedipus and Willy Loman respectively, refuse to passively accept their fate. In his essay Tragedy and the Common Man, Miller (1949) argued that the tragic hero is ready to die to secure personal dignity mainly from an ôunwillingness to remain passive in the face of what he conceives to be a challenge to his dignity, his image of his rightful statusö (1726). In both Oedipus the King and Death of a Salesman, the tragic heroes are tragic for their inability to remain passive in the face of a challenge to their dignity, even if it means their demise.
In Oedipus the King, OedipusÆ city of Thebes is being wracked by war and plague. Oedipus demands an inquiry into the source of these troubles. He discovers from the Oracle at Delphi that the individual responsible for killing the former King of Thebes is the individual responsible for ThebesÆ troubles. As King, OedipusÆ dignity is challenged because the city he leads is in crisis. At the outset of the drama, Oedipus swears to bring the individual to justice and restore order to Thebes. He is also viewed as the savior of Thebes, who by his ôcoming saved our city, freed us from tribute which we paid of old to the Sphinx, cruel singerö and as ôGreatest in all menÆs eyesö (Sophocles 1967, 112).
However, Oedipus discovers from Teiresias, a blind seer, that he is, in fact, the murderer of King Laius. Teiresias maintains that he does not wish to ôbring to the light my day of troubles, mine û rather than call them yoursö (Sophocles 1967, 124). However, Oedipus is arrogant and filled with hubris, especially with respect to his right rule and his determination to bring the individual responsible to justice. Instead of accepting TeiresiasÆ vision that he, Oedipus, is the culprit, OedipusÆ stubborn nature makes him view Creon and Teiresias in ...