Similarities Between Odysseus And Oedipus

. The epic hero and tragic hero are two of the most recognizable characters in literature, as well as other forms of media. Both go through their own journeys and hardships, and both heroes have their own, very distinct endings. Two of the most recognizable of these characters are the epic hero Odysseus from Homer’s The Odyssey and the tragic hero Oedipus from Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex. They both go through difficult journeys, Odysseus trying to find his way home and Oedipus trying to find his birth parents and save Thebes. While Odysseus’ journey forced him to face some hardship, it still ended in triumph and glory, but no matter what struggles Oedipus faced and overcame, his journey still ended in misery and him losing all glory

Penelope was described as being “joyous… at the sight of her husband”(463), and even after he told her all that he had done on his journey, she did not care about his wrongdoings. As an epic hero, he was still to be seen as perfect and incapable of doing wrong, and he is forgiven for everything that he has done. Even after the time he spent with Calypso, and her having “’made the man (Odysseus) her husband’”(156), she was willing to ignore it, as well as everyone else. It was simply considered to have been a part of his journey and his suffering, and he could do whatever he wanted as an epic hero. All of Odysseus’ servants were overjoyed to see him return as well, and they were thankful that he got rid of the suitors. His journey did not matter, to them “the great hearted Odysseus was home at last.”(460). Even though it was their job to serve him, they still had an unwavering respect for him, unlike Oedipus’ people, who, while they were loyal to him for a long time, hated him at the end of his journey. While the epic and tragic hero did have some similarities in their journeys, they both end very differently, as shown by the joy Odysseus’ return received and the hatred the truth about Oedipus received. While their journeys were similar, they were both meant to have very different endings, making them two very different types of characters, as well as two very different types of