This is an essay that relates two tragedies written by two authors Sophocles and Euripides who shows the importance of faith in gods, however; the two differ when Euripides feels that the gods can be disrespected while Sophocles feels that the people must obey the gods no matter the situation. Sophocles’ tragedy is known as Oedipus, the king which is a Greek title. This is one of the relationships between the two tragedies. Both Oedipus, the king, and Medea are Greek titles. The Oedipus title, unlike the Medea title, was given as Oedipus Tyrannus by Sophocles so that it can be differentiated from another title that is called Oedipus at Colonus.
Medea on the other hand also being a Greek tragedy that is described by Euripides illustrates the false story of Jason and Medea. The tragedy mainly focuses on Medea than Jason although the two were husband and wife. Her husband Jason leaves Medea for another woman who is also a princess of another kingdom (UNIVERSITY, 2017). Despite the fact Medea is also a princess of the Colchis kingdom, her husband decides to exchange her wife’s position with another prince. This action leads to Medea killing the princess who replaces her as Jason’s wife. She then escapes from her kingdom and goes to look for another place for a new life. The place that Medea moves to after the killing her husband’s new wife is called Athens (UNIVERSITY, 2017).
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
The action of Medea killing the new wife that is married to her husband Jason is described as a revenge action with the reason of family betrayal. Jason is the one which is illustrated to play the role of deception because of leaving her first wife for a second one. This tragedy that is written by Euripides is rated as his best play although it does not take the first posting among the plays that are presented in the festival (UNIVERSITY, OEDIPUS THE KING INTRODUCTION, 2017). It takes the third position in the festival. This is, therefore, a great trial compared to the man plays that are presented during that big festival.
Medea feels a lot of pain for losing her husband to another wife. Her husband explains that the reason for his action is the desire to marry a wealthy queen. He also says that he would be happy if the new family joined the previous one hence making Medea his mistress. Medea reveals how she took away the life of her biological brother to marry Jason, but he now would not consider that sacrifice (UNIVERSITY, 2017). Medea decides to kill the children that she gave birth to Jason with the reason of causing pain for his actions on her. Medea mission of killing starts with the new wife of Jason who is called Glause and his father (UNIVERSITY, 2017).
Medea kills the two-people father and daughter by use of the same strategy that is a poisoned robe. She gives it as a gift Glause, and as Glause’s father tries to save her daughter from dying, he is also killed by the poison. Jason on realizing this he plans to execute Medea, but in the process, he discovers that his children are also killed (UNIVERSITY, 2017). The killing of the children is not an easy decision for Medea, but she eventually does it. She then escapes from Athens with the bodies of her dead children and lives Jason in a lot of pain.
What the Oedipus plays by Sophocles is his second play because he has produced two other plays. However, this play turns out to be the best when compared with the other two plays that he has produced. This play is about King Oedipus who has committed many tragedies unknowingly. This King heads a kingdom that is known as Thebes (UNIVERSITY, 2017). The first tragedy that King Oedipus performs is the murder of his biological father. The second action that King Oedipus commits is marrying his biological mother who is referred as Jocasta. King Oedipus initially performs These two actions without his knowledge on the tragedy behind them (UNIVERSITY, 2017).
King Oedipus does not realize that the man he kills is his father and the woman that he marries is his mother. However, he, later on, discovers that truth behind the whole matter. This play has been acknowledged as a big tragedy by the citizens and therefore rating the play of King Oedipus as a great achievement of the Author Sophocles (UNIVERSITY, 2017). The overall play starts with the coming of Oedipus in the world that is his birth that took place in Thebes where his father is the King. Oedipus father at the time he is born is acknowledged as King Laius. This King Laius after his wife gives birth to Oedipus realizes it is written in the oracle that his son will be responsible for his death. He, therefore, orders his wife to kill the little boy Oedipus with the aim of preventing the oracle’s writings from coming to pass (UNIVERSITY, 2017).
The king’s wife Jocasta does not have the guts of killing her son, and the same case applies to her servant. The servant is also unable to take away the life of the innocent young boy. They, therefore, decide to take the young boy away to the elements and abandon him instead of killing him directly (UNIVERSITY, OEDIPUS THE KING INTRODUCTION, 2017). This is a lucky decision for the young boy Oedipus who is later found by a shepherd. The shepherd takes care of the helpless child and takes all the responsibilities of Oedipus as his kid. The raising of the young Oedipus takes place in the courts of the kingdom of Corinth (UNIVERSITY, OEDIPUS THE KING INTRODUCTION, 2017).
The king of the Corinth Kingdom during the raising of Oedipus is a king that is referred to as King Polybus. After a period of a very long time, there arise rumors that Oedipus is not the real child of King Polybus. This leads Oedipus to ask for the oracle so that he can have an account of the truth of the matter behind the rumors . In the oracle, Oedipus finds out that he is to murder his father and take his mother to be his wife. Oedipus wants as much as possible to avoid fulfilling the prophecy that is written in the oracle. He also believes that his biological parents are from the Corinth Kingdom that is King Polybus and his wife. Oedipus after reading the prophecy of the Oracle decides to vacate from the Corinth Kingdom (UNIVERSITY, OEDIPUS THE KING INTRODUCTION, 2017).
He decides to go to Thebes’ kingdom his place of birth. The reason that leads Oedipus to vacate Corinth kingdom is to avoid fulfilling the prophecy written in the oracle. The fact that he believes his parents are from Corinth and that he does not want to kill his father King Polybus as he believes or marry his mother makes him go to Thebes. He probably believes that when he is in Thebes, there would be no way that he can fulfill the prophecy. On his way to Thebes, Oedipus meets with a man who he engages in a conflict with. The conflict leads to Oedipus killing the man. It is so unfortunate that the man Oedipus kills his biological father King Laius of the Thebes Kingdom.
The killing of his father unknowingly on a quarrel was out of Oedipus pride. This, therefore, leads partly fulfilling of the story that is foretold in the oracle. The part of the prophecy that is fulfilled in this stage is the killing of his father. Oedipus later realizes that there is also a riddle of Sphinx that holds a curse to the Thebes kingdom. This course would only be broken if he would marry the queen of Thebes kingdom. The queen of Thebes Kingdom during this time is Jocasta Oedipus’ mother. To break the riddle’s curse, he marries his mother, and by so doing he fulfills the whole prophecy.
Oedipus being the king decides to research on the murder of his father. The truth is hidden from him, but when he accuses Tiresias of the killing, the truth is told to him. He becomes worried even of committing incest with his mother. Since he cannot bear the pain of the truth, he tells the prophet Creon to look after his children. Creon had left another riddle that Oedipus would be the father and sibling of his kids and also a son of his wife. Jocasta kills herself and Oedipus plead that he should be punished.
The two plays have the similarities of tragedies when related. There is an evil act of murder and doing ungodly things. In the first play that is Euripides’ play, the author feels that there is disrespect of the gods by the citizens of Athens. The actions of Medea are performed knowingly. This is different from the play of Sophocles on Oedipus, the king. The actions done by Oedipus are done unknowingly. The fact that he demands execution and Jocasta kill herself shows respect for the gods. These show that if the two realized whatever action they did on time, they would have corrected themselves and avoid the situation.
References
UNIVERSITY, S. (2017). OEDIPUS THE KING ANALYSIS. SHMOOP UNIVERSITY , 44-66.
UNIVERSITY, S. (2017). OEDIPUS THE KING INTRODUCTION. SHMOOP UNIVERSITY , 55-77.
