Text and Traditions - Essay Example

? Text and Traditions number Corruption and Trust in Hamlet and Oedipus the King William Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Sophocles’ Oedipus the King are two of the most famous and important plays in the canon of English literature. Apart from being canonical texts that are in a certain sense representative of their ages, they also talk of universal themes that are important for people of all ages. They thus are texts that require constant analysis so that different semantic possibilities are unearthed by people who are removed in time from the points in history when these plays were produced. Plenty of research has already gone into this effort; however, more effort always seems to yield greater results, indicating the greatness of these two works. Both these plays talk about the kinship ties that exist between the different characters and how they play out during the course of the play. The characters in the play commit murders and in a lot of situations are antagonistic towards their own kinsmen. In certain instances, this violence is done unknowingly while in certain instances, the violence is performed unknowingly. In either case, however, there is the certainty of retribution that follows the killing of a person of one’s own family. This retribution in the case of Oedipus seems almost divine. This can be supported from the instance in the text where the oracle of Delphi pronounces its judgment on the life of Oedipus and he is sent out to be killed; however, he comes back to his native country and also becomes its king. In these circumstances, it is difficult to say that the fault of the murder of his own father and incest is to be lain at the doorstep of Oedipus the character. However, there are repeated requests from advisors that the truth should not be pursued. These are ignored by the king and he finally discovers his own past and present and attempts vainly to decide his own future by blinding himself. It is the corruption in the society that transfers itself on to the king in this instance as is seen from the metaphoric representation of it. It can initially be seen in the disease and pestilence that sweeps across Thebes and later in the incest that he commits with his mother. This too is indicated through the pestilence that hits Thebes following the marriage between Oedipus and his mother Jocasta. The corruption that is revealed is however, one that underlies the society that Sophocles represents at large and not a particular situation. The deep-rooted mistrust that man had in himself is seen in these lines of Oedipus- And as for this marriage with your mother—have no fear. Many a man before you, in his dreams, has shared his mother’s bed. Take such things for shadows, nothing at all— Live, Oedipus, as if there’s no tomorrow! (Oedipus the King, 1068-73) In the case of Hamlet too, the corruption that is sought to be exposed is one that plagues Danish society at large and this is reflected in the royal family of Hamlet. The perceived betrayal of Gertrude, Hamlet’s mother, is something that rankles in Hamlet’s mind and almost makes him go insane. The perceived slight and breach of trust is that which is done by the uncle and the mother, something that receives the support of the courtiers of Denmark who fail to see what Hamlet sees as a form of disrespect to his father’s memory which can in fact be interpreted as merely a manifestation of patriarchy and a latent Oedipal complex. The inherent corruption of the Danish society is remarked upon by the ghost of Hamlet’s father. It is also seen in the death of Ophelia, possibly the only character who displays any kind of innocence throughout the play and hence remains unfit to live in the corrupt society that she is a part of. The society that Hamlet feels he is a part of is one where appearances cannot be trusted and a corrupt culture of pretence has taken root. This can be seen in the following lines- Must I remember? Why, she would hang on him As if increase of appetite had grown By what it fed on: and yet, within a month,— Let me not think on’t,—Frailty, thy name is woman!— (I.ii: 143-6) Both Hamlet and Oedipus the King talk of societies rather than individuals which are corrupt and where trust has lost its value and significance. The playwrights make good use of dramatic techniques to induce in the viewer a sense of doom that is inherent in such a society. 2. Conflict and Kinship in Hamlet and Oedipus the King Kinship ties are crucial in determining the direction that conflict takes in the plays Hamlet and Oedipus the King. In both these plays, the violence that happens is due to the fact that certain rules regarding the operation of kinship ties were violated. In Hamlet as well as in Oedipus the King, the protagonists commit the murder of their kin and the actions that follow or are preceded are what form the crux of these plays. In Sophocles’ play, there is the additional violation of incest that Oedipus commits and this introduces a nuance into the analysis that shall be done on this essay. It is however, the death of his parents at his hands that is feared and sought to be avoided at the beginning of this play. This is what leads to the ultimate tragedy. In the case of Hamlet, it is the knowledge of his father’s death at the hands of his uncle that prompts Hamlet, the protagonist, to contemplate the murder of his uncle. There is also the additional aspect of Gertrude’s marriage to her former brother-in-law, something that Hamlet perceives to be a betrayal. What Hamlet’s mother does, he perceives to be an insult to his dead father’s memory. This memory comes to haunt him in the form of an apparition. Kinship ties that live on after the death of a person are what Shakespeare seeks to show through this device. He also demonstrates how such events can cause the continuance of conflict in a person’s life. This conflict may be a result of real or imaginary causes and this is what the ghost’s presence in the play signifies. Whether the murder is committed completely in the manner in which the ghost recounts the event is never confirmed by the playwright or any of the characters. However, one can see in the reluctance of Hamlet to kill his uncle, the force that kinship ties have. He ultimately kills him when he comes to know that his own death is inevitable. This however, demonstrates the internal conflict that he goes through as a result of the laws of kinship that he is supposed to maintain, according to the society’s norms. His mercy for his mother arises, according to critics, the oedipal complex whereby he is unable to feel for Ophelia but feels an intense hatred towards the man who has usurped his father’s position. His indecision in the face of having to murder his own kin to avenge his father can be seen in the lines that he talks of the very nature of the existence of man and where he flirts with the idea of suicide- O that this too too solid flesh would melt, Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew! Or that the Everlasting had not fix’d His canon ’gainst self-slaughter! O God! O God! (I. ii:129-32) The conflict that is thus caused is what causes the tension that drives the play onward. The sense of the futility of human existence caused by the nature of kinship that operates and influences human lives merely through chance can be seen in Oedipus the King as well. Life becomes merely a passage of pain and suffering for Oedipus that can be eased only by death, as he says in these lines, People of Thebes, my countrymen, look on Oedipus. He solved the famous riddle with his brilliance, he rose to power, a man beyond all power. Who could behold his greatness without envy? Now what a black sea of terror has overwhelmed him. Now as we keep our watch and wait the final day, count no man happy till he dies, free of pain at last.             (Oedipus the King, 1678–1684) Oedipus’ conflicts in life result not only from his own actions but also from those of others as well. His parents’ refusal to make him aware of the prophecy would seem to the reader one of the greatest reasons for his tragedy. Apart from this, the greatest reason for the tragedy, that Sophocles seems to suggest, seems to be that of fate, which conspires against every move that Oedipus makes, finally pushing him to do what the prophecy had. The oracle comes back to haunt him at the end of the play, informing him of the truth of his past. The conflict between free-will and determinism in this play is complicated by rules of kinship that bind a son to his parents and also those that bind a king to his subjects’ well-being. The ties of kinship that operate in these plays thus have a profound impact upon the ways in which conflicts happen. The play depends on these for the deepening of the dramatic tensions in it. Works Cited. Sophocles. “Oedipus the King”. The Theban Plays. New York: Penguin, 1986. William Shakespeare. Hamlet. London: Oxford UP, 2000. Read More