Oedipus the King and Macbeth

The tragic hero is characterized by a change in character and improvement through

experience and suffering. A tragic hero learns from his own fate and sufferings and
gains a deeper understanding of and empathy with other people. He accepts the
consequences of his doings. Even in his downfall he presents a picture of strength
of character and memory of courage, virtue even glory. A tragic hero also serves
as example to the audience which will be bettered by the catharsis (emotional
purification) of looking at his fate.

Both men are tragic figures but it is questionable whether both are tragic heroes in
the true sense. The differences lie in the underlying forces that push them to their
crimes.

Macbeth understands the treachery of his acts. He knows that he acts only to
preserve his own welfare and pride and not for the common good. He does not learn
from his doings, there is no increase in self-knowledge, no purging of sins, no
purification. He does not willingly accept the consequences of his doings.
Macbeth knowingly and willingly commits murder and battles all fronts to avoid
the consequences. He does not learn from his doings, he just gets caught more and
more in his terrible plot. Macbeth remains in the memory of the audience because
of his terrible deeds, his crimes and he cannot be considered as a morale example
for the audience.

Oedipus does not willingly undertake his “crimes”. Fate leads him to do them. He
does not know what he has done, he actually condemns the crime (the killing of
Laios) and vows to revenge the crime. He learns that fate has lead him to commit
what had been said in the prophesy. He is a victim of fate and of his own hand,
and he deserves pity. He also deserves respect by taking on the consequences and
purging of his sins. He is an example to the audience.

Similarities

Oedipus and Macbeth are characters in similar plays – in both plays the plot
revolved around how to gain power, how to exercise it and how to take
responsibilities for ones own actions. Oedipus Rex and Macbeth are both tragedies.
Sophocles and Shakespeare wrote these plays to teach a simple lesson for average
people. Oedipus and Macbeth are both men that have a lot of power but are not
capable of keeping it.

Both Macbeth and Oedipus undergo many conflicting decisions that shape their
personalities. Conflict, such as man versus nature, man versus man, and man versus self,
are used in these plays.

Both plays teach a lesson. Oedipus and Macbeth are kings who take a fall through
faults of their own or due to inadequacies within themselves, although with the
major difference that one acts willingly and with full responsibility for his deed and
the other fails because of vanity but mostly because of fate.

Both Oedipus and Macbeth were confronted and destroyed by a set of circumstances,
Oedipus by fate and Macbeth by the witches and their prophecies. Originally, both
become kings by reacting to what supernatural forces tell them. If the supernatural forces
had never influenced the two, the tragedy would not haven taken its course. The oracle
advises Oedipus to seek vengeance upon the murderer of the former king, Laius, in order
to put an end to the plague. The three Weird Sisters, on the other hand, tell Macbeth, that
he is destined to be king. Both interpret the messages as absolute fact and do not
question further and this leads to their downfall. Macbeth becomes too confident
because of the words of the three witches and Oedipus tries to find the murderer of
Laios only to discover that he himself is the killer. If they would not have followed
the messages the drama would not unfold.

Contrast

Although the plays share similarities, the fall of Macbeth is very different from that
of Oedipus. The contrast is based on the conscious involvement of Macbeth in his own
evildoing and doom, and the lack of awareness accompanying Oedipus own evildoing.
Macbeth's downfall is due to his own personal decisions while the downfall of
Oedipus is due to fate and the will of the gods.

Macbeth has it in his character to be evil even before the witches’ message and he
takes the message to legitimize his doings to serve his ambition. He knows that he
does a “horrid deed” when he kills the king. who is his guest and generous lord, he
knows as Oedipus did not, that he does a "horrid deed. "

Oedipus could not control what happened to him. Oedipus was a caring person from the
beginning of the play. When his people started getting sick and dying he sent his brother
in law, Creon, to "To ask of Phoebus, in his Pythian shrine, by word or deed how shall I
rescue Thebes?" And in the answer to this question which was asked because of empathy
lays his downfall. He never wanted to kill the king, it was fate that lead him to do it.

Oedipus is the better person of the two. He is just and merciful and a father for his
people. Oedipus shows pride by thinking that he alone can save the city from the
plague, which shows his major character weakness “vanity”. But what he does he
does because he wants to save the city, he has the citizens first in his mind 1. It is
terrible irony when h e proclaims his curse upon the murderer. Oedipus is ignorant
that his actions had produced the harm.

Macbeth helps to save Scotland but is only one soldier in a huge army that fights
off the attackers and his own ambition and pride plays a major part. Macbeth
murders Duncan in cold blood to gain the kingship. He mistreats his subjects and
his countrymen 2. As the play progresses, Macbeth begins to show his true colors as a
callous dictator. When he realizes that his actions went wrong he sees himself how he
has fallen. His fate is not undeserved as it is the result of his own decisions. Even if
the supernatural persuade him to follow the path of evil, the choices are his.

Oedipus does not mistreat his subjects at all. He is ignorant of the harm that his
actions are causing. Macbeth knows full well the harm that his actions are causing
but doesn't care. He becomes so confident that he thinks that he is omnipotent 3.
1
Poor children! You may be sure I know
All that you longed for in your coming here.
I know that you are deathly sick; and yet,
Sick as your are, not one is as sick as I. (1019)
2
Send out more horses; skirr the country round. / Hang those that talk of fear" (5.6.36-37).
3
Bring me no more reports, let them fly all;
Till Birnam Wood remove to Dunsinane,
I cannot taint with fear. What's that boy Malcolm?
Was he not born of a woman? The spirits that know
All mortal consequences have pronounced me thus:
Greed and overconfidence lead to Macbeth's downfall while Oedipus is dethroned
because of ignorance. Macbeth is a malevolent ruler and Oedipus a benevolent one. The
message lies in the way the two men develop, the kind of king they become. Macbeth is
fully aware of his misdeeds, and perpetually exploits them to his advantage. It is greed
and disrespect for other human beings that lead to Macbeth's downfall and death.

Oedipus is clearly the better person of the two. Oedipus never intentionally mistreats
those under his empire; quite the contrary, his actions prove him to be quite selfless and
this selflessness leads to his downfall. His fate is undeserved as it is not the result of his
own decisions but the decisions of the gods, of fate.

'Fear not, Macbeth, no man that's born of a woman

Shall e'er have power upon thee.' (5.3.1-7)