Introduction
William Shakespeare presents one of the greatest dramas called Hamlet, where the discussions of life and death appeal to readers and force them to think critically about the sense of life. Hamlet is a combination of the characters’ love, death, revenge, and mental conditions (Xie et al.). There are many interpretations of the story, and the whole idea of the work differs across the versions (Xies et al.). The story revolves around one main character, Hamlet, who has a close connection with a Greek protagonist, Oedipus, who has a tragic life as the main figure of the story.
Even though Hamlet and Oedipus are from different time periods, some similarities and differences build the uniqueness of Hamlet. Because the story is mostly about the life of Hamlet, this character has a greater resilience, which may appeal to many readers. Fate, free will, and resilience are common to both figures, and these aspects build common and different features in Hamlet and Oedipus, allowing readers to understand why Shakespeare makes his character similar to the historical creature.
The Figure of Hamlet
Hamlet becomes a part of a complicated family story that raises anger between members. According to Lewis, the story is about Prince Hamlet of Denmark, who keeps anger on his uncle Claudius (3). This issue occurs because Claudius killed King Hamlet, who was the father of the Prince, and married his mother, Gertrude. The event significantly impacts Hamlet’s mental condition, and he cannot cope with his emotions correctly, causing more problems in his surroundings.
Morality and revenge contradict the story, and the character needs to find a sense of life by staying more ethical to others. The desire to avenge his uncle makes Hamlet isolated and his actions become unpredictable and, in some cases, dangerous when deaths appear (Shakespeare 98). One of the main quotes of Hamlet is “To be, or not to be,” and this thought of the character describes the nature of human existence and the afterlife (Harvey et al. 560). The quote stays popular among many philosophers in the modern world as every individual’s sense of life stays unique.
The Figure of Oedipus
The figure of Oedipus is not described in Hamlet, but this Greek protagonist had a massive influence on Shakespeare while creating the appearance and behavior of Prince Hamlet. In the Oedipus Rex play, Oedipus is a figure who kills his father and marries his mother (Edmunds). “I killed him. I killed them all” (Sophocles 285). The character passes many tragic events that force him to think about ‘good’ and ‘bad.’ By digging into the problem, the protagonist discovers that he is the main source of problems that do not allow him to build communication and cope with the mental issues.
The story of Oedipus is a typical example of a Greek tragedy that inspired many philosophers and writers like Shakespeare. Therefore, the author of Hamlet introduces topics of fate, free will, and the human condition, which are the main triggers of many people throughout the times. Unstable fate and the desire to have free will make many individuals closed in their expressions and their mental condition ruins.
Comparison of Hamlet and Oedipus
Even though the author does not use the figure of Oedipus in Hamlet, many critics compare the Greek figure with the life of the main character. Hamlet is constantly looking for revenge and truth, like Oedipus. However, these characteristics bring some problems to both figures as they need to see the danger that is caused by their actions. The character of Hamlet is a philosopher, and this aspect is similar to Oedipus. The search for truth stays classical for the philosophical story, and there is no significant difference between the character and the Greek mythological creature. It may not be interesting for the reader to know more about Hamlet, and Shakespeare changes some facts that do not make people bored.
Contrast of Hamlet and Oedipus
The tragedy that unites Hamlet and Oedipus allows readers to have a lot of common thoughts and acts. Nevertheless, many differences allow readers to understand the character of Hamlet in more depth. According to Lucas, the whole story is about the father of Hamlet, while Oedipus is the center of the problem related to his personal experience (203). Additionally, Hamlet is more realistic, and he is trying to get revenge for the conditions that are happening right now. However, Oedipus wants to uncover the truth about the past and deal with the consequences.
Both characters raise the topics of fate and free will, but the interpretation differs significantly. Shakespeare decides to make Hamlet more rational, and the thoughts of the character state that humans can exercise to control fate and destiny, while Oedipus is more pessimistic in this idea (Lucas 203). Lastly, the ending of the figures is different as Hamlet finishes with death, and Oedipus is a form of warning to others to ensure that people avoid similar issues in their behaviors.
Hamlet’s Resilience
Hamlet might have greater resilience than Oedipus due to his realism. Shakespeare introduced problems of the character from different perspectives, like love, betrayal, revenge, and mental breakdown. Hamlet has to come up with the issues at the same time throughout the story, making him stronger than Oedipus. Moreover, Hamlet is coping with the emotions of a struggle, and some decisions negatively influence his life (Harvey et al. 561). This fact makes the figure closer to people’s problems in the modern world. The poem’s language has a significant impact on the resilience of Hamlet as Shakespeare uses poetic words and sentences to show the diversity of the character. People are more aware of the story of Hamlet rather than Oedipus because of the worldwide popularity through performances.
The desire to fulfill his father’s dreams and aims makes Hamlet resilient in achieving justice. This passion is seen in the monologues, “The time is out of joint. O cursed spite, / That ever I was born to set it right!” (Shakespeare 37). Even though Hamlet meets various challenges and suffers from mental issues, he tries to achieve his goal by meeting disappointments and deaths. This characteristic makes Hamlet stronger than Oedipus, who has a similar fate.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Hamlet and Oedipus are two approximately the same historical figures who share similar stories and problems. However, even though both of them have serious challenges, they differ in their strength and ability to adjust to the changing environment. While Hamlet has to fight with his own thoughts that do not allow him to achieve goals, Oedipus is struggling to cope with the issues at the same time. The popularity of Hamlet’s play is massive as Shakespeare managed to deliver the legend of Oedipus from the more realistic side. Therefore, the character of Hamlet stays more resilient due to the global awareness of the masterpiece and adjustment to the real world.
Works Cited
Edmunds, Lowell. Oedipus: The Ancient Legend and Its Later Analogues. JHU Press, 2020.
Harvey, Miles, et al. “‘To Be, or Not to Be’: Modernizing Shakespeare with multimodal learning stations.” Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, vol. 63, no. 5, 2019, pp. 559-568.
Lewis, Rhodri. Hamlet and the Vision of Darkness. Princeton University Press, 2020.
Lucas, Duncan A. “Case study two: Shakespeare’s Hamlet.” Affect Theory, Genre, and the Example of Tragedy, 2018, pp. 191-240.
Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. BoD, 1601.
Sophocles. Oedipus Rex. Translated by Dudley Fitts and Robert Fitzgerald, Harcourt, Inc., 1949.
Xie, Ruobing, et al. “Does William Shakespeare Really Write Hamlet? Knowledge Representation Learning with Confidence.” Thirty-Second AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence, vol. 32, no. 1, 2018, PKP Publishing Service Network. Web.
