A Comparative Analysis of Sophocles' Opedipus the King and Arthur Miller's Death of A Salesman

Name of student Name of institution Name of instructor Date Due A Comparative Analysis of Sophocles’ Oedipus the King and Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman According to “the Tragic Vision”, a good tragedy is one with a person of stature and his demise affects an entire family, group or society. ("The "Tragic Vision"") In other words, a tragedy has a hero who is better than everybody else is. In Sophocles’ Oedipus the King, Oedipus is a very smart person. In addition, he holds very high standing in the society. Oedipus is the only person capable of solving the Sphinx’s riddle. One of the elements of Tragic Vision is that suffering brings out the best and enhances the ability to accept moral responsibility. Oedipus case is a perfect example of this description. As an evidence of his recognition of truth and responsibility, Oedipus chooses not to depend on the gods, but rather rely on his ability as a riddle-solver. His exploits lead to great insights into the powers of the gods pertaining to fate. The story is generally the same in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman whereby the typical American family is depicted. This play showcases a family living in the midst of life’s problems. The problem is that Willy Loman, the main actor, is living in fantasy. His is a story of a person struggling to get happiness through any means possible. However, in all these struggles, he doesn’t lose sight of his role as a family man and his responsibility to provide for them. He therefore fits the description of a hero given in the “Tragic Vision.” In his quest to be the best salesman, and make his family comfortable during harsh economic times, Willie Loman does not get the expected results. This results in a tragedy in that he commits suicide. Comparing the two characters, there is a stark difference in their societal statuses. Willy Loman from “Death of a Salesman” is just a common man while Oedipus is from the high realms of the society. At the start of the play, we see the priest referring to Oedipus as “ruler of my country.”( Grene, 1) Death of a Salesman starts in “Willy Loman’s house, yard, and various places he visits...” (Grene, 3) Ever since Oedipus the King solved the Sphinx puzzle, he is a very popular figure in his country. When this play starts, Thebes is in a lot of pain and suffering. Some of the problems this city is suffering from include still born babies, plague deaths and failing crops. ( Grene, 1) Creon the brother-in-law comes with some rather interesting oracle which recommends that the murderer of Laius must first be found for the problems in the city to cease. According to the oracle, the murderer is still within the Thebes populace. Creon says, “The clue is in this land,” in reference to the murderer. (Grene, 2) Oedipus the King is very vexed by this and vows to get the murderer. He goes ahead to curse the killer and order the citizens to give any information they have about the murder. He is quoted as saying “Upon the murderer I invoke this curse.”(Grene, 4) In an effort to take the investigations of the murder a notch higher, Oedipus calls for Tiresias, a blind prophet. After his investigations, the blind prophet refuses to reveal what he sees in his visions. “Why is it you question me and waste your labour?” the blind prophet asks. (David Grene, pg 5)However, when Oedipus the King accuses the blind prophet of being responsible for the death of Laius, Tiresias says that Oedipus is the murderer and the cause of all the problems the city is suffering from. This argument goes on with Tiresias saying that the King has also done other bad things. Oedipus on his part accuses Tiresias of plotting to overthrow him with the help of Creon. At this juncture Oedipus takes on Creon but the chorus and Jocasta are convinced of Creon’s innocence. It is at this point that Jocasta attempts to calm down Oedipus are seen. It is not so easy to change Oedipus’s mind as he still believes Creon is to blame for the murder. Jocasta tries to convince Oedipus not to trust in seers and prophets, and along this line, Jocasta tells of a prophecy, she once received. While the prophecy had said that the husband would be killed by the son, he instead died in the hands of strangers, the son very young by then. (Page 11) This revelation unsettles Oedipus because this happens at the same spot he had fought and killed several people. One of those he murdered fits the description of Laius. When Jocasta manages to calm down Oedipus and they leave the scene, the chorus takes over. The chorus reiterates how the gods punish those who get power through full disregard of gods’ laws. It goes on to say that worshiping God would lose meaning if oracles and prophesies turn out to be untrue. This is where the play seems to depict tension between belief and unbelief of gods’ existence. At this point, the possibility of the prophecies being fulfilled looked far-fetched. Nevertheless, the search for the truth for Oedipus is not over yet. A Messenger from Corinth comes with news of Oedipus’s “father” death, and that people back there want Oedipus to be their king. The messenger says “The people of the Isthmus will choose Oedipus to be their king.” (Grene, 14) That Polybus has died while Oedipus is away makes Jocasta so overjoyed because she thinks that the prophecy was all false. When Oedipus comes in and receives the news, he is also very happy. However, one thing still lingers in Oedipus’s mind; his mother is still alive. This means that part of the prophecy may still come to pass. The messenger is taking Oedipus closer and closer to the truth although he doesn’t realize it. First, he gives Oedipus the news that the dead person was not his real father. All indications are that Oedipus fate will be sealed at this point. Moreover, true to this, the last piece of news from the messenger f...