Self Destruction In Oedipus And Hamlet By William Shakespeare

Obsession is the single most wasteful activity because becoming obsessed leads to irrational actions and self destruction. In the plays, King Oedipus by Sophocles and Hamlet by William Shakespeare, the writers express how the protagonists are the makers of their own fate and self destruction. The authors demonstrate that humans who possess or are ruled by obsessive behavior will only act rashly and cause their own demise.

The obsessive nature of both Oedipus and Hamlet proves to lead to dangerous consequences.

A1 Q#1O Firstly, Oedipus believes that his fate cannot come to pass and he becomes obsessed with proving he is right. He states to the prophet Teiresias, “Of prophecy you profess. It is for yourself/ It is for Thebes. it is …show more content…
Oedipu pushes others for selfish reasons in order to assure himself that he is right. When Oedipus does receive the truth, it becomes very dangerous because it destroys his family and himself. Oedipus does not take into account the consequences of his search even after he was warned to stop. On the contrary, Hamlet acknowledges some of the consequences of his actions and takes more careful measures than Oedipus. Although he still desires for justice to be served by proving the truth. The characters actions result to be irrational and eventually leads to their individual …show more content…
The attendant of Oedipus states, “With golden brooches which the king snatched out/ and thrust, into his eyes/ Eyes that should see no longer his shame, his guilt/ No longer see those they should never have seen.” (Sophocles 61) Due to Oedipus’ obsession and persistence, it eventually leads him to uncovering the truth. After this, Oedipus cannot handle the pain of the truth and reverts to physically gouging out his eyes. This act proves to be severely ridiculous and therefore, is climax of his self destruction