In the world of literature, there are many similarities between works of art. Literary analyses are significant because through them, the reader can learn and thoroughly comprehend the themes of the writer’s message. Two examples of such literature are the notorious epic poems “Oedipus the King” and “The Odyssey”. These famous works were written by Sophocles and Homer. Both Sophocles and Homer were both Greek poets who modernly have become extremely honored for their work. Oedipus the King” and “The Odyssey” share many common themes that are essential through the course of the plot. “Oedipus the King” and “The Odyssey” share many similarities. The most significant similarity is that both epic heroes are involved in a conflict when we first encounter the poems. In The Odyssey, we learn that the main character, Odysseus, has been held captive by the nymph Calypso for twenty years. We also learn that Odysseus had finished (and won) fighting a war against the city of Troy and has been held captive by Calypso ever since.
During this time, Odysseus' son and wife, whom Odysseus left behind to fight in the war, have been patiently waiting for Odysseus to return to his palace in Ithaca in which he is king. Telemachus, Odysseus' son, has grown into a young adult over the course of waiting for his father’s return. He is constantly battling one hundred suitors who have maintained themselves in the palace and waste Odysseus’ wealth in an attempt to marry Penelope, Odysseus' wife. In Oedipus the King, a wild plague has been killing a big population of the city-state of Thebes.
It was such a big conflict that the people of Thebes turned to King Oedipus to resolve the situation. He helped the city before by solving the riddle of the Sphinx and they needed help from him once more. During this plague, disaster on the crops was present, women died after giving birth, and cattle were gravely sickened. The main characters in both epic poems were also very similar. Both King Oedipus and Odysseus were well-respected leaders of their cities. This respect is shown in The Odyssey when Zeus ordered his daughter Athene to nform Odysseus' family that Odysseus was alive. Respect was shown towards Oedipus when the people of Thebes crowned him king for solving the riddle of the Sphinx. They both showed how responsible they were when Odysseus went to fight in the Trojan war and when King Oedipus took action in solving the city's plague by sending Creon, his brother-in-law, to the Oracle of Apollo to seek answers. Both characters were heroes because Odysseus helped to win the war against the city of Troy while Oedipus solve the riddled and saved many lives.
Also, the wives of both characters were strong because Penelope (Odysseus' wife) was faithful to her husband and did not remarry despite the fact that her husband's whereabouts were unknown. Additionally, Jocasta (Oedipus' wife) tried to calm Oedipus down when he became livid from accusations of murder. These two characters were also similar in that they both ruled kingdoms in cities of Greece alongside their husbands. Finally, both epic poems practice the usage of dramatic irony.
Dramatic irony is irony that occurs when the meaning of the situation is understood by the audience but not by the characters in the play. In The Odyssey, the audience and gods knew the whereabouts of Odysseus and knew what was expected of him in the future while he and the whole city of Ithaca did not In Oedipus the King, the audience knew that Oedipus lived through the prophecy and his people were suffering as a result while Oedipus was puzzled about the situation. Like similarities, differences are present between two works of literature.
Author: Arnold Campbell