Oedipus vs Antigone
When reading both Oedipus The King and Antigone by Sophocles, it is almost impossible not to immediately compare and contrast the leading characters, Oedipus and Antigone. The two stories provide ample opportunity for the mind to begin making comparisons of the characters' ignorance to reality, selfish pride, and self-inflicted demise. The stories also allow the distinct differences of the two to reveal themselves also. Both characters are loved by their people, but Oedipus' legacy seems to be due to the unnatural family relationships he is involved in. Near the end of the tragedy, Oedipus' name becomes so vain that the Leader of the Chorus is distraught at the very mention of it crying, "You, you're that man?" (Sophocles ). Antigone, on the other hand, longs for the glory that she will receive when dying for her brother. Antigone is more of a threat to Creon, already knowing her fate and thinking she had nothing to lose by standing up to him. These characters ultimately bring about their own demise, Antigone dying a marauder to her brother and Oedipus being exiled after poking out his eyes. Oedipus and Antigone really allow the reader to see the world from their blinded view during these two stories. For exampl
e, Oedipus couldn't face the reality of what would happen if the servant he had summoned was wrong. Even at the beginning of the story, one can not help but wonder at the many coincidences that occur. How is it that Oedipus did not realize who his father and mother truly were? He meets these men at a crossroads, kills all but one of them, and then finds out later that Laius had died at a crossroads. It did not even cross his mind that he had been there at the same time of Laius' death. He was only accepting the fact that Laius had been killed by robbers. He received a prophecy when he was still residing in Corinth that he was to slay his father and marry his mother. Slowly, but surely, bits and pieces of the puzzle come together, but he never makes the connection. When he finds out who he really is, he is unable to believe what he has learned. This ignorance to reality is demonstrated throughout the text of Oedipus the King. Antigone also displayed this ignorance, refusing to let Creon's edict deny her brother the burial he deserved. She fights and challenges Creon, stating, "Would'st thou do more than slay a prisoner?" (Sophocles ). She also points out to Creon that even his edicts can't overpower what the gods had undoubtedly wanted. She maintains her dignity to her death, hanging herself instead of letting Creon's starvation sentence bring her down. Antigone refused to let anything Creon said or did stop her from insisting Polynices' burial. Antigone and Oedipus also possessed fierce pride, which kept them from believing this truth. In Oedipus' case, his pride was what kept him from thinking he could have been the son of Laius. The chorus alludes to the fact that Oedipus' rise to power and fall from power are closely related, with his fall possibly resulting from the fact that he rose too high
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Approximate Word count = 1230
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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