Tragedy Is the Consequence of a Man’s Total Compulsion to Evaluate Himself Justly Essay Example

They were seen as good, honorable, brave men, who got glorified for their respective gifts and talents, which was used in great service to mankind and their people or country.

Oedipus with the gift to solve riddles saved his people and the land of Thebes by solving the Sphinx riddles and breaking the curse. Macbeth who is excellent on the battle field and posses a unique ability to kill, was glorified for this skill and was granted a new position that is the Thane of Cawdor. However even though at first we see them as good men, what makes them both tragic heroes and the plays, tragedies, is the fall of good men who in turn are destroyed by the very same thing that they were glorified for and that is their respective gifts , skills and talents. In other words we see where ecause both of them made an error in judgment and due to fate, a reversal of fortune will see them doomed.

The first error in judgment that both Oedipus and Macbeth made has to do with how they use information and assess its credibility by judging the source. Oedipus after acknowledging the power of the Gods and announcing that he is in need of the help from the Gods to solve the plague which is affecting his city of Thebes in which he was crowned king of because of saving this city before; it was revealed to him by Teresias that he is indeed the cause of all the unfortunate things which have been affecting the city of Thebes.

Macbeth on the other hand was told great news which was pleasing to the ears

and thus wanting to believe they were true and because of his ambitions to rise and be the best, he would easily see them come true into reality. This is a classic example of what is known as pathological skepticism that is a tendency to dismiss all claims that contradicts our beliefs. This pathological skepticism goes back to Oedipus when he starts to disrespect Teresias, calling him a fake prophet and a liar, when it was revealed by him that he is the cause of the plague.

Oedipus was quick to take offence and threaten Teresias with death if he continues to say such “lies”. He even went further to a point where he accuses his brother in law, Creon of treachery in setting up the whole act in an attempt to steal his crown. The first error of judgment was made by disregarding the credibility of Teresias who is a prophet and a messenger to the Gods, and by disrespecting him he is turn disrespecting the Gods.

Macbeth in the same light, however slightly different in the sense that he took the information as credible because it was to his liking, from a source which was visible seen by his fellow general Banquo that they were foul, conniving and evil. It was prophesized by these three witches that Macbeth would be Thane of Cawdor and King here after. Banquo who was also given a prophecy was told that he would be father of many Kings though he shall never be King and he replied to the witches in the way if Macbeth had followed would not lead to so much bloodshed and suffering caused to himself

and others.

Banquo said that he would leave such things to nature and the hands of time; if it be so then it will happen. Macbeth on the other hand did not stop to think that the witches were evil and trying to deceive him, for as Banquo states, sometimes evil forces in order to win us over tells us good, just to deceive us later. Other factors which caused the tragic events to take place is when both Oedipus and Macbeth, in their respective plays start to go against their morals and beliefs and also their instincts and subconscious thoughts.

Macbeth could feel that what he was doing was wrong, the fact that he even hide his true desires to be king from Banquo, made it known to us that he knows what he is going to do, that is killing King Duncan so that he may in turn become king is in fact wrong. He also makes the error in telling his wife, Lady Macbeth his thoughts and desires who played a very crucial role in fueling Macbeth into killing Duncan when he was having second thoughts; she accused him of being less than a man.

But Lady Macbeth confuses manhood with being inhumane, as after Macbeth Kills Duncan he becomes like an animal who is constantly tortured throughout the play by his subconscious and conscious mind, he becomes fearful and refuses to sleep for fear of being killed in the same way. Oedipus on the other hand considered himself to be too much of a blessed person to be the reason why their country suffers so much, when it was revealed to him that he

is actually a curse and was cursed from the beginning of his birth when it was prophesized that he would end up killing his father and marrying his mother in addition to having children with her.

This evidently shows Oedipus error in Critical thinking, being that because the claims to him were so extraordinary he went on a quest to research the origin of his birth and though it is as obvious and clear to the audience that he did in fact killed his birth father King Laius and marry his mother, Jacosta in addition to having children with her, he needs more concrete proof in an attempt to try and falsify the claim Teresias has made against him.

The third indication of tragedy occurring because of man’s total compulsion to evaluate himself justly is the failure to heed warning. Both Macbeth and Oedipus failed to follow good advice and heed the warnings. This in a sense is one of their major downfalls flawed by their nature and desire to want to know. Oedipus ends up going on a quest which leads to his doom, and Macbeth who went in search of the witches to know his destiny, interprets the information which he has been given to him made several more errors to which caused him to have a tragic death.

This is seen when Oedipus didn’t demonstrate any kind of sympathy for old man Teresias and even though Creon was considered to be his close relative he was ready to banish him and sentence him to death, while ignoring the pleas of the chorus that he is blinded by anger and resentment and is thus not acting

as he should. It is also shown in the play where every time he found someone new to talk to about the origin of his birth he was heeded not to ask so much questions and that the answer would not be to his liking and that it is in his best interest if he abandoned this mission and go home.

But upon threatening them with death once more he forced them to talk. This is a character trait of both Macbeth and Oedipus to abuse lower class people and misuse their power and authority to get what they want from others. It is ironic that it took the actual telling of the story and the direct link being revealed of Oedipus being the curse in the last scene for him to actually see that the prophecy is true and that he is the curse. Especially since even Jacosta which is both his wife and mother figured it all out before him and try to persuade to disembark from his journey or else he will suffer the consequences of knowing the truth.

This is equally represented to the fact where upon seeing and finally realizing that all along he was too blind to see the truth he gouges out his eyes. So now he is actually blind because he could not bear to look at the things that once use to make him happy such as his children who were born out of sin and is now curse from ever marrying or having children themselves. With Macbeth he failed to listen to Banquo’s warning that these “filthy hags” are something of a bad nature and that they

look evil.

Even after failing to listen to his conscience, Macbeth also failed to listen to his wife Lady Macbeth, who does not recognizes her husband any more as he is now blood thirsty killing machine, as he kills Banquo, and any other person he sees as a threat in being able to take the crown. With Macbeth being tortured by his conscience, he goes back to the witches and is told that “none born of woman” shall harm him, and that he shall never be defeated until Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane.

The witch’s prophecy is fulfilled when the attacking army from England came from the branches of Birnam Wood that it moves. Still confident in the witch’s prophecy Macbeth engages in war confident that none of woman born will ever harm him. However after facing Macduff he learnt that Macduff was untimely ripped from his mother’s womb. Macbeth is eventually slain and is beheaded, for in order for the body to be good again the head must go. Both Macbeth and Oedipus suffered just as much as how they caused their wives to suffer which brought them both into committing suicide.

At first both were considered to be great men who at first seemed flawless, but the flaws after a period of time was not clear to the mind and they both failed to see early in the play that they are not perfect, and this form of imperfection comes by nature and being flawed is inevitable by just being men. There is no such thing as a perfect man, but men will always be prone to selfish desires and susceptible to evil just like Oedipus

and Macbeth in their respective plays. This shows that tragedy is the consequence of man’s total compulsion to evaluate himself justly.