The story of Oedipus: The king and queen of Thebes were desperate for a child and, after numerous failed attempts, went to an Oracle to receive advice about their problem. The Oracle told them that any son that was born to the king and queen would eventually kill the king. Soon, the queen (Jocasta) became pregnant with a boy (naturally) and so, in order to prevent the prophecy from becoming fact, the kind and queen gave their son to a servant to kill. The servant, however, gave the child to a shepherd who raises the child with his wife. Years later, the son (named Oedipus) was made aware of a prophecy about him that would cause him to kill his father and marry his mother. In an effort to prove the prophecy wrong, Oedipus fled home and headed to nearby Thebes. On the way, he encounters: a man whom (through circumstances) Oedipus kills and a sphinx (which has been causing a problem for Thebes) that Oedipus successfully defeats which allows him to become king of Thebes thereby marrying the queen. Though he did not know if immediately, through trying to prove the prophecy wrong, Oedipus did in fact kill his father and marry his mother. He later went on to blind himself using a pin, is exiled, and wanders in the woods for many years; but that’s a different story.
Hamlet is often analyzed as having Oedipal undertones (Oedipus being Hamlet and Jocasta being Gertrude). Can you analyze Hamlet is this way/see this as being at all likely? Why or why not?
49 comments:
Hamlet can definitely be compared to the story of Oedipus. Hamlet is the innocent one who gets caught up in his mothers mess. Gertrude the queen marries King Hamlet’s brother, Claudius, which is messed up. This could be compared to Oedipus and when he marries his mom, which is also not morally right. In the excerpt it says, “On the way, he encounters: a man whom (through circumstances) Oedipus kills.” This part could be compared to when Hamlet kill Polonius. Through Circumstances, like Oedipus, he kills a man who got in his way. The story of Oedipus and Hamlet are indeed very similar.
~Becca Gardella 5/6 Period
Hamlet is similar to Oedipus in many ways. Gertrude marries King Hamlet's brother after he dies. This can be compared to Oedipus marrying his mother. It is also similar when Hamlet kills Polonius. This can be compared to when Oedipus kills a man who "got in his way", who happened to be his father.
Jordan Besida 3rd Period
Hamlet and Oedipus both share conflicts that involve their mother. The situation of their mothers' put the story into circumstances. Hamlets uncle, Claudius killed Hamlets father in order to get with Hamlets mother. As for Oedipus who ends up marrying his mother in despite of being parted from her at birth. When Oedipus encounter a man he killed him just like Hamlet as well killed a man, Polonius through circumstances brought upon them. Both stories involve situations that lack morally. The stories are similar in ways and different in other ways.
Giavonna Gilbride 5/6th
Hamlet and Oedipus share a common conflict that involves their mother. But, unlike Oedipus whose mother and father gave him a way so he would not kill the king, Hamlet's Uncle killed his father. And like Oedipus seeing a ghost of a man his father killed, Hamlet sees the ghost of his father that was murdered by poison in the ears. And incest is involved. And incest is both present in Hamlet and the story of Oedipus: Because hamlet's mother married his uncle and Oedipus married his mother.
-Karra Adkins 1 period
Hamlet and Oedipus compare in the angle of marriage and death. Oedipus tries to prove this prophecy wrong by going to meet his parents and on his way he happens to kill a man. The irony of that is the victim was after all his father. In the story of Hamlet, Hamlet has a goal to get revenge on the new king that happens to be his uncle. By mistake Hamlets efforts to kill the king ends with killing Polonius. Another similarity is through the marriage of Hamlets mother and uncle which compares to the marriage of Oedipus and his mother. Marriage is such a quick and thoughtless act in old English plays that the stories have small similarities throughout.
Ally Modie 3rd period
There are some similarities in the story of Oedipus and Hamlet. In both stories there was another worldly prophecy or destiny that was told to the characters. This would be the ghost telling Hamlet to kill his uncle and the Oracle telling the queen that her son will kill his father. Both stories include the murder of a father figure by a youthful relative.
Ryan Konopka 5/6th Period
The Oedipus story and Hamlet are both similar in some of the things that occur. Hamlet accidentally kills Polonius, which is similar to Oedipus accidentally killing his own father. Hamlet also cares for his parents (trying to avenge his real father's death and caring about his mother's new marriage) just as Oedipus cares for his (Oedipus tries to avoid the prophecy and flees his home). Hamlet always gets caught up in the Queen's affairs, just like how Oedipus got caught up in Joacasta's affairs. So therefore, the story of Oedipus and hamlet can both appear to be similar in several ways.
B. Geiss 5/6th period
The stories of Oedipus and Hamlet are similar in many ways. In both stories, a male was given a prophecy or mission of some sort. In Oedipus, it was that he would kill his father and marry his mother. In Hamlet, it was to kill his uncle, which is supposed to be his “new father,” and protect his mother and the family name. In both these stories, the male questions the prophecy as well. In Oedipus, he leaves town to try and prevent the prophecy from coming true. In Hamlet, he questions whether or not the ghost was actually his dad, and the audience also questions his sanity. In both of these stories, the male kills someone who gets in their way. In Oedipus, it was his dad and the sphinx. In Hamlet, it was Polonius.
Muha, J 5-6th period
Oedipus and Hamlet both share similarities, but with different story lines and twists added to each. Like in the story of Oedipus, Hamlet is the only child (son) of the king and queen. King Hamlet, however, was held close to Hamlet's heart even after the day he was killed by King Claudius, Hamlet's uncle. Adversely, Oedipus does not have a relationship with his father and one day kills him, fulfilling his prophecy. Another similarity between the two is that both Oedipus and Hamlet were given a sort of mission to complete, Hamlet's being avenging his father's death, and Oedipus's would be attempting to avoid his prophecy but, in the end, making it come true. Perhaps the biggest similarity, and the reason for the two stories' comparisons, would be the roles that their mothers play in the stories. In both, the queens' husbands are killed, and as a following result, they remarry to someone that is in relation to them. Queen Gertrude is wedded to Hamlet's evil uncle, King Claudius, and Queen Jocasta remarries to her son Oedipus. The sons (princes) are also the main characters in both pieces. Although there are several parts of both works that are in a way similar, they are both unique and different in how the stories are written and played out. I do believe that there are "Oedipal undertones" in Hamlet because of the slight similarities the two hold. At the same time, both writings are very unique in their own ways.
Corrine Luzier
5/6 period
Hamlet and Oedipus are similar in many ways. Both stories the main character was told a prophecy that they needed to accomplish. In Hamlet, it would be the ghost telling him to murder his uncle and in Oedipus it would be the Oracle telling his mother that he would kill his father.
Hamlet and Oedipus are both similar in several ways. Oedipus tries to prove the prophecy wrong. On the way to finding his parents he kills a man who happened to be his father because he was "in the way". This could be compared to hamlet. When Hamlet is arguing with his mother about why she married king hamlets brother Claudius, he accidentally kills polonius thinking it was Claudius.
Alex Krencisz 3rd period
I think Hamlet can definitely be compared to Oedipus's story. Both of them murdered a person. Hamlet killed Polonius and Oedipus killed his father. They both seem to act out and get caught up in their family's mess. I think that both Hamlet and Oedipus have their differences but both went down a wrong path.
Hamlet can most certainly be compared to Oedipus. This story is very comparable to the story of Hamlet. Claudius kills King Hamlet by poisoning him in the ear. after the murder King Hamlets brother, Claudius, marries the queen, Gertrude. This is very similar to Oedipus when he marries his mother, very unethical and immoral. In both situations incest is prevalent in the stories.
Adam Weber 1st Period
I can definitely see Hamlet having Oedipal undertones. The first one being that Hamlet has a direct similarity to Oedipus. They both kill their fathers (Hamlet's situation is a little different, but is overall the same concept). Also Gertrude and Jocasta are a little bit similar, that being they both undergo unethical marriages. Gertrude marries her original husband's brother a month after he died. And Jocasta marrying her son, who killed her husband/his father. Both marriages are pretty screwed up.
-Mike Glencer
5/6 Period
I think there are some similarities between the two stories, but I do not think that it is exactly the same. For example, Oedipus kills his actual father, but Hamlet kill his father in law. Sure, they are both technically fathers, but Claudius is not Hamlet's real father. Another example is that Oedipus marries his mom. I do not think there is anything close that resembles Oedipus marrying his mother in Hamlet. Hamlet is more angry at his mother than he loves her. Overall, I think that they are two completely different stories that coincidentally have similar plot lines.
Bloxsom, N. 5/6th period.
There are many similarities between Oedipus and Hamlet. While reading this at first glance one would think Oedipus is a lot like Claudius. For example, both of these men have killed a king and taken the queen. But Oedipus is a lot like Hamlet in the fact that they are both young and curious. Just overall there are many similarities between the two stories.
Eric Bulic 1st
The Story of Oedipus and Hemlet both share similar characteristics toward one another. One characteristic show was how both of the men were given a prophecy. Hemlet was supposed to kill his Uncle while Oedipus was to kill his father. They were meant to kill someone very close to them and of higher status. In the end, both Oedipus and Hemlet did what they were meant too do.
Pelka, E. 1st period
Hamlet and Oedipus are very similar. Oedipus marries his mother after killing the king much like King Claudius kills King Hamlet and marries the queen. Oedipus kills a man whom he thinks is a different man, and it ends up being his father. Similarly, Hamlet kills Polonius because he thinks it is the king.
Kathryn Feeney
5/6
Hamlet and Oedipus are both similar to one-another. Hamlet's mother remarries shortly after his father's death and Hamlet's ghost of a father tells him to avenge his death. Hamlet then proceeds to kill Claudius as Oedipus kills his father. Claudius got in Hamlet's way just as Oedipus' father got in his way.
The stories of Hamlet and Oedipus have similarities, but are not exactly the same. The whole ordeal of Oedipus killing his father and marrying his mother did not happen in Hamlet. Hamlet didn't kill his father, he killed Polonius, because Polonius got in the way. This is similar, but not the same. Hamlet didn't marry his mother, but his mother did marry Claudius, making them both pretty big jerks, but that's beside the point. It's just as weird as in Oedipus, when he marries his own mother. Again, similar, but differences are present.
In short, it's like a movie that was re-made by a different director. There are those main ideas that occur in both, but each director/writer has a different idea on what would work well for the story. I imagine Shakespeare did the same thing with the story of Oedipus but without outright making it a so called "re-make." He added his own ideas to a previous story and it ended up different enough to be it's own story.
Paul Smith 3rd *
There are a few similarities between the two plays, but they are not completely the same. There is incestuous behavior in both storylines, but in Hamlet it is to a much lesser extent than in Oedipus Rex. Claudius’ marriage to Gertrude may be seen as morally wrong, but compared to the marriage of Oedipus to Jocasta it doesn’t seem as bad anymore. Another similarity would be the fact that in both plays the protagonist has to kill a man that got in their way. This is seen when Oedipus unknowingly kills his father and when Hamlet unknowingly kills Polonius. These are two slight similarities that could lead readers to believe that Hamlet has some Oedipal undertones, though I don’t believe the argument can be made that the two are completely—or even very closely—similar.
Yes, I do believe that Hamlet has Oedipal undertones. In the story of Oedipus, Oedipus kills someone that was in the wrong place at the wrong time, which just so happened to be his father. In Hamlet, Hamlet also kills someone that was in the wrong place at the wrong time, which was Polonius, who Hamlet mistook for his new "father," Claudius.
Incest is also prevalent in both stories. In Oedipus, Oedipus marries his mother, while in Hamlet, Claudius (Hamlet senior's brother) marries Gertrude, the queen.
Now, if Hamlet would murder Claudius out of revenge for his father and marry his mother, then the story would be even more similar to Oedipus.
There are a few similarites between the two. One detail that is similar is the fact that the boy goes on and kills the king. Hamet goes on the kill his uncle but at the time he doesnt know it was his uncle at first. in the case of oedipus he goes and kills kills a man that he later finds out was the king. oedipus goes on to marry his mom but onthe other hand hamlet doesnt.
Using the sense of logic hamlet would not be the same as Oedipus. First off is hamlet trying to kill the king just so it be justice for what Claudius did to his father. Next is hamlet does not want to be king and marry his mother. All he doing is acting crazy as how people see it so he will get back Claudius. Oedipus is killing the king cause he is the father and that was what the prophet had said. Another is hamlet has his love interest more into Ophelia rather with the mother. As in act 3 we see that hamlet is in fact abusing the mother cause she is selfish about her lonely self that she want to marry the brother. This is a opposite of what Oedipus story that he want to marry the queen and be the new king. Using these logic points put an explanation as being an undertone need to feel like the same theme. This does have the theme of killing the king but the goal are far apart different.
J Dhanraj 3rd period
This story and Hamlet can go together. They each have an issue that mostly involves the mother. In Hamlet, Hamlets mother kills the father and marries the brother and then Hamlet kills the brother. This is very similar to this story because Oedipus kills also with no intention of who that was.
N.Pozna. 5/6
There are some similarities that can be made between Oedipus and Hamlet. In both stories, there is conflict between the mother and her son. In Hamlet, this conflict is with the father dying and the mother remarrying very quickly. In Oedipus, it is through the son accidentally killing the father and marrying the mother himself. Both stories have a marriage after the father's death being a major conflict, but they are handled differently. Both Oedipus and Hamlet accidentally kill someone who they did not mean to. Oedipus kills his father who he did not know was his father, and Hamlet kills Polonius without knowing it was Polonius. Both Hamlet and Oedipus appear to be the innocent ones put into bad situations, and both characters have tragic endings in their stories.
The story of Hamlet and Oedipus are very comparable. Hamlet is an innocent boy who is faced with conflict due to his family's royalty. Oedipus kills a man who gets in his way just as Hamlet kills Polonius. Oedipus marries his mother just as Gertrude marries Hamlets uncle. The story is slightly different in the fact that if Hamlet has not killed Claudius and married Gertrude as Oedipus married his mother.
Steven Ficyk 5/6
The two plays have similarities, most only slightly. The biggest one being the killings of people that stood in the way. Oedipus killed his father, the king, because he got in the way of trying to prove the prophecy wrong. Hamlet killed polonius while trying to kill Claudius. They both share the theme of death, and killing of those who got in the way
I feel that Hamlet is related to Oedipus, as Gertrude married King Hamlet's brother. Hamlet eventually Kills Polonius which is similar to Oedipus as well.
I can see the resemblance, somewhat, but I don't believe that anything similar to this is likely in Hamlet. Both of the stories start with a terrible mistake, and ends in the suffering of the son of their respective families. Other than that, there isn't much to compare. I've heard the story of Oedipus before, and I would say that the mood of the story is much more comparable than the actual plot events. Of course, many of the characters can be compared (i.e. Sphinx to Claudius/Polonius?), but this tale really didn't come to mind while reading this as some others did at times. Not to mention the fact that, if Hamlet killed Gertrude's husband and married her after Claudius killed Gertrude's husband and married her after King Hamlet married her, that would be pretty messed up.
Hamlet and Oedipus are both very similar to each other. Hamlet's mother remarries very quickly to Claudius. The ghost which is Hamlets father tells him to seek revenge and kill him. Hamlet did so when Cladius was peeping in on Hamlet and his mother conversation. They are both very similar because Oedipus kills his father. Claudius was a speed bump in Hamlet's road just as Oedipus' father got in his way so he had to take care of him.
Oedipus and Hamlet compare together in the aspect of marriage and death. Oedipus tries to prove the prophecy incorrect by going to meet his parents, but on tis way he kills someone. In Hamlet, Hamlet wants revenge on Claudius, the new king. However, he kills Polonius by mistake. Also, the marriage of Hamlet’s mother and Claudius is similar to the marriage of Oedipus and his mom. In both plays, marriage is such a fast and careless process that the two stories have tiny similarities all throughout the plays.
I would say they are rather comparable both holding the idea of carelessness. In both stories each person being Hamlet and Oedipus had both gotten careless and had taken a life at some point on their journeys. In each their father had been killed in Odious ' case he was the one taking his own father's life unlike Hamlets situation. He had killed Polonius under wrecklessness.
Jeff Anzo 3rd
Hamlet can easily be compared to the story of Oedipus. Hamlet does nothing wrong to get caught in the situation he does which is similar to Opedipus. Family marries in both stories as well at the Royalty level. This compares to Oedipus and when he marries his mother. Also in both stories a man is killed in the process of the main mission.
If this is the literal meaning of the oedipus complex then I would have to say no. Why would such a comparison be made? He treats his mother respectfully in terms of how angry he may be of her and he has no strange or abnormal actions. I don't think he should be compared to Oedipus. Sure, he made mistakes and some of the occurrences in the story may be similar to that of "Hamlet," however, most of his characteristics I would just say are part of human reactions. People are often quick to jump to an action. He's sad over his father's death, learns how his dad died and understandably gets angry, and wants revenge. Some people are crazy and would go so far as to kill a person like that. I'm not saying I don't understand why, but seriously, he was mad at his uncle and not his semi-ignorant mother. I don't see how that should connect him to Oedipus.
1st~Colton Kemp
If this is the literal meaning of the oedipus complex then I would have to say no. Why would such a comparison be made? He treats his mother respectfully in terms of how angry he may be of her and he has no strange or abnormal actions. I don't think he should be compared to Oedipus. Sure, he made mistakes and some of the occurrences in the story may be similar to that of "Hamlet," however, most of his characteristics I would just say are part of human reactions. People are often quick to jump to an action. He's sad over his father's death, learns how his dad died and understandably gets angry, and wants revenge. Some people are crazy and would go so far as to kill a person like that. I'm not saying I don't understand why, but seriously, he was mad at his uncle and not his semi-ignorant mother. I don't see how that should connect him to Oedipus.
1st~Colton Kemp
Hamlet can be compared to Oedipus's story. Hamlet gets caught up in his mother's mess without intentionally doing so. The "messed up" part can be compared to as Oedipus marries his mother, Hamlet's mother marrying King Hamlet's brother. Hamlet also kills Polonius and Oedipus kills his father, but both men didn't initially know who it was that they were killing. Both stories seem to lack what's morally right.
While Hamlet and Oedipus share many things, their ending outcomes wouldn't match up. While they both deal with things that deal with their mother. They deal with killing someone whom they did not expect or intend to kill. In both cases, the father is killed. In many ways they are comparable but the differences take triumph over the similarities. While they both kill someone, Hamlet does not kill his father. He doesn't marry his mother, and he will kill at least one more time. Hamlet was not given away because of some prophecy he is only avenging his fathers murder. Morally, these stories are not right in any way, but the the innocence of it, almost makes it okay.
Gati 1st period
The stories of Hamlet and Oedipus are very similar. Hamlet cares for his parents just as Oedipus does. We see this connection for Hamlet tries to avenge his father’s death after hearing what had happened, and also he tries to look after his mother since she was so quick to remarry, just as Oedipus flees from his home after what his parents had told him in order to try and avoid the prophecy. In both stories, we also see the struggles that each man faced, in which they got rid of anyone that got in their way. For Hamlet, it was Polonius (after telling people he was “crazy in love” with Ophelia and playing two sides), and for Oedipus, it was his own father, even though he didn’t know it at first, and the Sphinx. So I believe that the stories of Oedipus and Hamlet can come across as similar in many ways.
Winston, S 5/6*
Oedipus and Hamlet do have very similar plots and the fact that they take place in same time era just compliments it. The similarities of these two stories involve tragedy and some type of royal family. There is family conflict like how hamlet is upset about his mom and how Oedipus kills his dad. Oedipus goes crazy trying not to kill his dad which he ultimately does, also Hamlet kills Polonius in rage hoping it would’ve been his uncle. Both have tragedy and some type of family affairs and that’s what I see most common between these two stories.
hamlet compares to the story Oepdipus. Hamlet gets caught inbetween his mothers mistake. Hamlets Dad got murdered and his Uncle Married his Mom. that compares to Oedipus marrying his mom. Hamlet will do anything to get revenge and Oedipus did anything he could to be king and he had to kill his father and which he did.
Hamlet is similar to the story of Oedipus in a few ways. Just as Oedipus was destined to kill his father, and he did, Hamlet will as well kill his "father", or his uncle for that matter. Also, just as Oedipus was cursed to live a doomed life, I feel like the ending of Hamlets story will lead to his doom. These are the similarities they share, but Hamlet will not end up marrying his mother, or killing a sphinx.
The two stories are slightly comparable, however nowhere during the Hamlet play does Hamlet himself decide that he wants to be King and marry a queen. In fact, Hamlet does almost the exact opposite by initially engaging in what was almost love with a girl Ophelia who was more of a commoner, needless to say nothing comparable to a family of royalty such as a queen. Hamlet does kill Polonius and assumably the current King Cladeus as well, but in no way does that end up turning into the incest story of Oedipus.
Hamlet is similar to oedipus in the sense that they both began as innocent bystanders and are tainted by theor mothers. Just as oedipus did not put the curse on himself, hamlet can not control his mother's actions. The difference between the two is that hamlet was trying to grieve the loss of his father. Hamlets actions were out of grief, loss and desperation. His mother should not have cut off the grieving process by marrying claudius. Oedipus should not have set out to prove the curse wrong. If oedipus was happy with his life he would not have felt the need to go back to his origin and stir up attention.
-Megan Zajkowski
The story of Hamlet is similar to the story of Oedipus. Both stories involve the death of their father and tragedy with their mother. Oedipus unknowingly killed his father and married Jocasta not knowing it was his mother. Hamlet's mother Gertrude married his uncle who had killed his father King Hamlet. They are both very awful stories involving their mother and father.
Hamlet is similar to the story of Odeipus. In Hamlet it is the remarriage of the queen to the uncle after the uncle kills the king. In Oedipus he did not know it was his father and killed him and married his mother Oedipus did not know at the time it was his mother. Both stories involve a death but are also in my opinion very different.
There are many similarities between Hamlet and Oedipus. One in particular is, they both have strong relationships with their mothers. However Hamlet's is not like Oedipus's. Also, both of the plays are surrounded by issues that their mothers caused. For Hamlet, his mother married his father's brother very shortly after his death. Also they both have prophecies. For example, Hamlet's prophecy is to avenge his father's death.
- Jenny Wiley 3rd period.
Hamlet is very similar to Oedipus in many different ways. both have inner-family drama involving their mothers with whom they are very close to. Hamlet's mother married shortly after his father was killed and Oedipus promised to avenge the death of his father.
-Joey Kilgore 3rd period
Post a Comment