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Examples Of Resilience In Oedipus The King

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Clarisse Santos S. Stamp ENG4UQ 12 July 2023 Title Every individual encounters difficulties that alter their viewpoints on life and their willingness to navigate these pressures. Therefore, it is essential to recover and acclimate oneself in the presence of tragedy in order to develop a sense of strength and resilience. This trait of resilience is demonstrated through the play of Shakespeare's Hamlet, which follows Prince Hamlet; he struggles with the death of his father and the abrupt marriage of his mother to his uncle, and is given the responsibility of getting revenge for his uncle’s transgressions. Similarly, in Sophocles' play Oedipus the King, Oedipus shows his efforts of resilience when he is tasked with finding the murderer of the …show more content…

Hamlet puts into practice his own free will rather than solely relying on fate when he is given the opportunity to kill Claudius and take revenge for his father when he finds him praying. However, he says "And am I then revenged / To take him in the purging of his soul / When he is fit and seasoned for his passage? / No!" (3.3.87-90). Hamlet contemplates revenge at this moment and its potential effects as he realizes that killing Claudius while he is repenting for his sins might send him to heaven. Instead, he wants to catch him committing a sin that would denounce him to hell. As a result, Hamlet is able to show his resilience by waiting for a more suitable moment to trap Claudius instead of seeking immediate gratification; this demonstrates his ability to think about the long-term consequences. As well as showcases his control over his actions and his willingness to resist his desires rather than believing that this is fate's given opportunity for him to kill Claudius while he is …show more content…

To illustrate, Hamlet questions the honesty of the ghost and wants to find more evidence:“Yea, and perhaps / Out of my weakness and my melancholy, / As he is very potent with such spirits, / Abuses me to damn me. I’ll have grounds. / More relative than this” (2.2.604-608). Hamlet displays an understanding of the potential consequences of his actions. He does not blindly trust the ghost’s words and does not act on his emotion; instead, he makes an effort to verify his suspicions. His resilience is demonstrated by his avoidance of impulsive actions and wanting to have justifiable “grounds” before acting on his

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959 Words | 4 Pages

And so he goes to heaven, And so am I revenged. That would be scanned: A villain kills my father, and for that, I, his sole son, do this same villain send To heaven” (3.3.78-83). In this quote, Hamlet mistakenly thinks that Claudius is praying since he on his knees and this shows the true anger that Hamlet has. Just killing Claudius isn 't enough, Hamlet must make sure that Claudius is being sent directly to Hell where he will suffer for eternity. One of the most prominent times we see Hamlet’s anger is when he murders Polonius, the father to Ophelia, his lover, thinking that it was Claudius.

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With the realization of his demise, Oedipus tries to protect himself from punishment and shame by gouging out his own eyes and exiling himself out to die in the place destiny prevented him from dying originally. After many years of luxurious living, Oedipus’s predestined fate tears his life apart and returns him to the place he should have died as an infant, the mountain. Through the use of, departure, initiation, and return, Sophocles displays the journey of Oedipus. Not only is Oedipus the King evidence of the use of the hero’s journey throughout many famous plays, movies, and books across all cultures and time periods, but it also seen as a perfect tragedy, in which the audience experiences both pity and fear for the main

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Similarly, in Sophocles' tragic play, "Oedipus Rex," Oedipus grapples with the challenge of uncovering the murderer of the late king, only to discover that the old king is his father whom he unknowingly killed years ago. During this journey, he discovers that he has married his mother and procreated with her. Despite these different trials, both characters navigate treacherous paths and demonstrate their resilience in the face of unimaginable circumstances. In "Hamlet," the character of Hamlet displays greater resilience compared to Oedipus in "Oedipus Rex" through his willingness to confront the truth, reliance on free will rather than fate, and unwavering determination to fight until his final

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1186 Words | 5 Pages

Hamlet observes Claudius praying and has the perfect opportunity to take his revenge, but this is an example of him straying from impulses. He decides to wait to kill him, declaring that he would go to heaven if killed immediately after praying. However, the greatest irony is that Hamlet will not have another chance to kill Claudius. This just proves that at the end of the day, some decisions need to be made split second and cannot be endlessly deliberated

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785 Words | 4 Pages

Hamlet was given the prime opportunity to kill Claudius when he found him on his knees begging for forgiveness. Hamlet negated not to kill him right then and there because he wanted Claudius to go to hell, not heaven. Hamlet’s lack of sanity, or his tragic flaw, in the play is definitely what caused his inability to

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In addition, he suffers from hesitancy in the correctness of their actions. Throughout the play, Hamlet says, “That I, the son of a dear father murder'd, /Prompted to my revenge by heaven and hell.” (2.2.581-587) This

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1165 Words | 5 Pages

. As Claudius kneels to pray Hamlet enters and sees his uncle confessing his sins. Having religious knowledge and knowing that if one confesses before death they will be saved, Hamlet changes his plan to kill his uncle. Hamlet knows that his father did not have the time to confess his sins and as a result ended up in purgatory. He decides that it wouldn’t be revenge if he kills Claudius after he confesses sending him straight to heaven while his father spends eternity in purgatory.

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628 Words | 3 Pages

Hamlet no longer wanted to live in this life despair and pain. Another illustration of his indecisiveness is during the play when he had a clear chance to avenge his father by killing Claudius but choose not to do so, because he thought that Claudius was repenting for his

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1358 Words | 6 Pages

To further elaborate, Hamlet, explains, “Why, this is hire and salary, not revenge” (Hamlet 3.3.79). Hamlet believes that he will not be doing his father justice if he kills Claudius after he is forgiven of his sins. Hamlet continues, “To take him in the purging of his soul / When he is fit and season 'd for his passage?... / Up, sword, and know thou a more horrid hent” (Ham.3.3.85–88). By not taking advantage of the opportunity, Hamlet once again delays in fulfilling his vow to his father.

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347 Words | 2 Pages

Hamlet wants revenge on Claudius for his

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718 Words | 3 Pages

(Hamlet 568-82). Hamlet feels pity for himself for being in such a horrible situations with his father’s death, his mother’s quick marriage, and his depression but he is angry at himself for not doing anything about his situation, for not avenging his father against a horrible person. He does not create a revenge plan, he does not speak for his father, etc. He is frustrated and angry because wanted to avenge his father but he does not follow through with his desires. Hamlet then begins to fire up with anger and motivation for revenge against Claudius.

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992 Words | 4 Pages

O cursed spite, That I ever was born to set it right.”- Hamlet (1/5 pg. 96). Here he questioned if he truly wanted to kill Claudius and how he ended up with the responsibility in the first place. Once again Hamlet was unsure if he is even capable of killing

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He then states that the current king is worthless and that the concept of a king transcends the boundaries of only one man. Finally, he reveals his intentions of murdering Claudius as he implies that the current king will be worthless once he satisfies his desire for vengeance. In addition, Hamlet’s crave for revenge gives the play its tragic nature, Hamlet attempting to avenge his father’s death remains a noble cause: “I’ll wipe away all trivial fond records/ . . . /And thy commandment all alone shall live” (1.5.100-103). Hamlet displays his obedience as he accepts his father’s orders.

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1218 Words | 5 Pages

77-100) of his play , Hamlet, William Shakespeare depicts Hamlet, following Claudius’s revelation of his guilt, as he is faced with the opportunity to kill his father’s murderer while he prays. Finally, Hamlet has the chance to fulfill his promise to his father and enact revenge, but ultimately decides killing his uncle in prayer would neither bring self-satisfaction nor redemption. Through his seething tone and imagery, Shakespeare demonstrates Hamlet’s extreme hatred of Claudius as well as the difficulty in pursuing internally satisfying revenge on one’s enemies.

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807 Words | 4 Pages

Williams Shakespeare is recognized as the greatest English writer. One of his best works ever written is “Hamlet”, which is the most complex, confusing, and frequently performed play. The extreme complexity of the main character – prince Hamlet in this play contributes to its popularity until today. “Hamlet is supposedly the most quoted figure in Western culture after Jesus, maybe the most charismatic too” (Bloom 384). In the most famous revenge tragedy, his biggest weakness that he procrastinates completing his revenge for his father’s death by killing the murderer.

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