Both of the
plays, Oedipus Rex by Sophocles as well
as Hamlet, by Shakespeare, are predominantly
works of classic tragedy. This, moreover, is something
that is accentuated quite strongly when considering
it in light of the exceptionally strong overtures
of inevitable destruction and doom as they are
illustrated in either of the plays. Furthermore,
it would also be relevant, before going into too
much detail in concern to either of the plays,
that each of the plays tends to be uncharacteristically
inclined towards scenic integrations involving
bloodshed, violence and mysticism. Take Shakespeare’s
Hamlet for instance. The play is founded
upon a plot that is highly intricate and considerably
twisted, even by Shakespeare’s standards.
Contemplate the scene towards the beginning of
the play, when the ghost of Hamlet, the dead king
appears to his son, the prince Hamlet. It is apparent
that the properties of the ghostly and rather
grisly spectacle of the dead king Hamlet appear
to be strongly indicative of the manner in which
he died, subsequently inducing feelings of trepidation
and fear within the subjects who happened to experience
the apparition. The elements of corporeality,
moreover, are also present within the Sophocles’
Oedipus Rex; this being something that
is accentuated especially strongly when considering
it in light of the bloody fate that Oedipus eventually
and voluntarily meets as a result of his own decision.
It is quite apparent that these elements of corporeality,
in both cases, have been integrated in order to
convey to the readers/viewers the essence of tragedy
within the settings. It is obvious, however, that
this does not completely cover the reason for
the exceptional degree of corporeality within
either of the plays. Take into consideration,
for instance, the manner in which the corporeal
properties of Queen Gertrude and King Claudius
are portrayed within Hamlet, through the words
of the protagonist himself. Take into consideration,
for instance, the essence of his words when he
engages with himself in a soliloquy concerning
his mothers union with her husband’s brother,
his uncle a scant two months after his father’s
death. ‘O most wicked speed, to post/with
such dexterity to incestuous sheets’
(Hamlet, Act 1; Scene 2). Clearly, this is something
that appears to suggest that there is a lack or
moral and ethical grounding present within the
royal family, something that is made even more
apparent when considering it in light of the marked
lack of grief and misery on the part of the widow.
And coincidentally, this is something that brings
forth an instance of partial similarity between
the two plays, something that is emphasized when
considering it in light of the nature of the relationship
that Oedipus shares with his wife, the queen Jocasta.
While the nature of this relationship doesn’t
register until later in the play, the blind seer
Teiresias makes an enigmatic indication to it
at the very start. Teiresias says to Oedipus ‘have
you eyes / And do not see your own damnation?
Eyes, / And cannot see what company you keep?
/ Whose son you are? I tell you, you have sinned’
(Oedipus Rex; 37).
And while it is obvious that the seer’s reference to the eyes of Oedipus is completely metaphoric and proverbial in nature, this is something that shifts dramatically as the plot continues to unfurl. While it is apparent that Oedipus’ lack of intangible insight is something that is increasingly aggravating Teiresias, the tables begin to turn with the dawning of realization within the Oedipus. Slowly, as he grows increasingly aware of the gravity of his misdeeds, however, Oedipus begins to chide himself for his ignorance, gradually working himself into a state of depression and misery that is of such insane depth that he is obliged to eventually gouge out his own eyes. This action, however, seems to be the anti-climax in the play, as he loses the entire honor and respect in the eyes of his subjects with significant rapidity. The corporeality of this lays in the fact that Oedipus was largely perceived as a fair and a just ruler before the misdemeanors started descending upon him in all their glory. Immediately following the scene of his self-inflicted wounds and blindness, however, he is portrayed as being a freak, a monstrosity who is viewed with disdain, disgust and loathing by all of his subjects. This is something that suggests that subjects of the time were given to evaluating the character traits of their leaders upon the pretext of the physical features of the individuals in question.
The nature of the fate that Oedipus eventually meets, moreover, comes through as being rather ironic; he becomes part of the very theme that he has been obsessed with overcoming, the plaguing and pollution of Thebes. This is since, in his distorted state, he is thwarted and disliked and viewed as a nuisance that Thebes must be rid of as soon as possible. The chorus further emphasizes the negativity of his demise in as much as taunting him with the shouted words ‘dare not see, I am hiding / My eyes, I cannot bear / What most I long to see; unspeakable to mortal ear, / Too terrible for eyes to see’ (Oedipus Rex; 62). And in Hamlet, the indirectly corporeal nature of the circumstances under which Hamlet dies (from an indirect hit, a superficial cut) seems to suggest that his subjects place relevance in the marring/perfection of the body in death. This is something that is symbolically indicated through the reverent manner in which Fortinbras orders Hamlet’s corpse to be carried away. ‘Let four captains / Bear Hamlet like a soldier to the stage, / for he was likely, had he been put on, / To have proved most royally’ (Hamlet, Act Five; Scene Two). Thus speaking and taking into consideration all that has been said and discussed, one of the things that has been made perhaps the most evident has been the subtle but strong transfixion of the characters to the corporeal characteristics of their leaders. |