A person’s identity is derived from knowing his lineage, and especially from the birth parents, since somebody’s traits, looks and character are primarily inherited from the parents. It is a common occurrence where an individual that had been raised by adopted parents feels an unexplained desire to seek their birth parents. One might attribute this act to the belief that blood is thicker than water meaning that blood relations have a significant impact on one’s life. In “The Tale of Sohrab” this happens between Rostam and his son Sohrab who had been separated but meets later on in battle (Ferdowsi, 2016). Similarly, King Oedipus in “Tale of Oedipus Tyrannus” is separated from his parents at a tender age and only finds out later that King Laius was his father. Blood relations and their significance in an individual’s destiny is the central conflict in both the tales.
The two tales have a striking similarity since the two lead characters in both plots do not know their birth parents until much later. Rostam was not aware that Princess Tahmina had borne him a son since he left her and returned to his people in a faraway city where he was preoccupied with battles. He had left Tahmina with an onyx amulet with instructions that in case she gave birth to a girl, it should be put on her hair, and if it was a boy, it should put in his arm. Fortunately, Tahmina gave birth to a son and named him Sohrab (Ferdowsi, 2016). However, Tahmina did not disclose to Rustum that they two now had a son but lied that the child was a girl. Sohrab is unaware of his father as he grows up but only finds out later that his father is the mighty Rustum. Fate brings the two together where they have to fight each other in battle, and it is then that Rustum finds out that he had a son.
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Oedipus, king of Thebes, faces a similar situation like Sohrab as he does not know his birth parents until much later. His city is faced with plague, and in his effort to find a solution he is told that the reason for the epidemic is because the murderer who had killed his predecessor, Laius, had made the city unclean. Oedipus is not aware that Laius was his father since he had been raised by someone. His journey to discover his parents starts when he hires a blind prophet, Teiresias. She accuses Oedipus of the killing Laius and tells him that he had killed his father and also married his mother. Oedipus was sure that this prophecy was wrong since his parents were Merope and Polybus although he had heard of rumors that they were not his birth parents. However, Oedipus later finds out that Laius and his wife Jocata were his parents although he had been raised by Polybus (Sophocles, 2012).
The other similarity is that both Sohrab and Oedipus get to inherit certain traits from their birth fathers. They prove that blood relations have a significant impact in shaping one’s destiny and they cannot be stopped by mere separation. Both characters were separated from their fathers while still young, but fate reunites them later on. As he grew up, Sohrab became a proficient fighter just like his father who was a renowned fighter. This is a trait which Sohrab inherits from his father despite that they had never met nor did they know of each other’s existence. Similarly, Oedipus gets to become king of Thebes just like his father and predecessor Liaus (Sophocles, 2012). Oedipus had been raised in a distant land, Corinth, but destiny brings him back to Thebes, and he becomes a king like his real father.
Sohrab and his father Rustum encounter each other in a battle where the father ends up killing his son. Rustum only realizes that Sohrab is his son after fatally injuring him when he sees the onyx amulet (Ferdowsi, 2016). Similarly, Oedipus finds out that he killed his father Laius after a prophecy. The tales exhibit another similarity in that the reunion of the characters with their father occurs under tragic circumstances is made by Teiresias. Both Sohrab and Oedipus do not get time to spend with their birth fathers as death separates them.
The central conflicts in the tales of Sohrab and Oedipus Tyrannus are similar is several ways. In both, the lead characters, Sohrab and Oedipus, do not know their birth parents until much later. Both Sohrab and Oedipus get to inherit certain traits from their birth fathers. The tales exhibit another similarity in that the reunion of the characters with their father occurs under tragic circumstances. In conclusion, they prove that blood relations have a significant impact in shaping one’s destiny and they cannot be stopped by mere separation.
References
Ferdowsi, A. (2016). Shahnameh: The Persian Book of Kings. New York: Penguin Group.
Sophocles. (2012). Oedipus The King. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
