To compare any two things, one must first check that there is any similarity between the two; both Hamlet and Oedipus Rex conform to the same classic tragic formula. In both William Shakespeare's Hamlet, Hamlet is a member of the royal family and in fact is next in line to the throne: "You are the most immediate to our throne"[1]. We see from this quote that Claudius, the then current king of Denmark, has maintained that Hamlet will remain heir to the throne. This Hamlet as the second most powerful man in Denmark, because to anger him now, is to invoke a king's anger in the years to come. However in

That has no relish of salvation in't; then trip him, that his heels may kick at heaven, and that his soul may be as damn'd and black as hell, whereto it goes"[7]. Hamlet has a perfect opportunity to kill the king. The king is kneeling, praying, defenseless. But just as he is ready to do it, he starts to think and decides not to do the deed that would have averted the entire tragedy. Throughout the play this inaction on Hamlet's part is so self-evident that even Hamlet himself is able to see it in himself, "Why what an ass am I! This is most brave, that I, the son of the dear murder'd, prompted me to my revenge by heaven and hell, must, like a whore, unpack my heart wit words and fall a cursing, like a very drab, a scullion"[8]. Yet, despite even Hamlet's own very clear views on his inability to avenge his father, he is still unable to bring himself to do the deed until the end of the play. Hamlet's inaction in William Shakespeare's Hamlet is the central cause of the tragedy. However in Sophocles' Oedipus Rex, Oedipus brings about the tragedy through his own willful actions, "As I journeyed I came near to this triple crossroad and there I was met by a herald and a man riding on a horse-drawn wagon, just as you described it. The driver, and the old man himself [Laius], tried to push me off the road... I struck the driver ... when the old man saw me coming ... he aimed at my head ... and hit me. I paid him back in full, with interest ... I killed the whole lot of them."[9]. Here Oedipus explains how he had killed his father and his escort. However this deed carries with it a double curse, for Oedipus now through his hasty action has both fulfilled the first part of the prophecy that he would kill his father and marry his mother, but also this murder has brought down the plague that was currently harrowing Thebes. Oedipus' actions eventually lead not only to the fulfillment of the Oracle's, but to Oedipus' realization of it, "O God! It has all come true. Light, let this be the last time I see you. I stand revealed - born in shame, married in shame, an unnatural murderer."[10]. The realization of this, and of what part Oedipus' actions played in this, largely led to the tragic end of the play. Therefore, one can clearly see how William Shakespeare's Hamlet is a tragedy of inaction, while in contrast, Sophocles' Oedipus Rex is a tragedy of action.

In conclusion though there are many similarities between William Shakespeare's Hamlet and Sophocles' Oedipus Rex, there is

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Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)