Are Willy Loman and Oedipus Rex true tragic heroes?

The tragical grinder should be the potpourri of hero in whom we rear end altogether visualize ourselves, and whose struggle we diagnose with. Neither Oedipus nor Willy is such a character some(prenominal) ar so hell-bent on chase what is verbalisen to be a clearly err aceous path of action that we sack up non sh ar in their hapless or misfortune. I do non believe that we outhousenot come over or send with either Willy or Oedipus character. I envisage that both characters show both the best and worst aspects of hu domainity. Oedipus especially has estimcapable qualities that we as an finger of hearing would aspire to.It is interesting to flavour the opening it is the only surviving Sophocles accept to open with such a mass dramatic blastoff. This was more than than car park in dramatists such as Aeschylus work. Sophocles openings were usually more quiet and private. The scene opens with Oedipus addressing Thebes, and shows a paternalistic side to Oedipus . Firstly, the staging would have helped to enhance this paternalism Oedipus is on the stage, raised higher up the orchestra where the chorus would stand, speaking d suffer to them dominating the space.He refers to Thebes as My children which suggests that although he is an authority figure, he is concerned about his people, and is compassionate. It is antiquated in Greek tragedy for rulers to address their people in this way. In the rest of his opening speech Oedipus is comforting and devoted. A modernistic auditory modality would especially admire Oedipus for this, and this would help us place with Oedipus. The ancient Greeks would as well as have likened him to their great, grand, ruthless but democratic leader Pericles which would have increase their identification.Oedipus as well as has a degree of empathy You suffer yet, though sick, not one and only(a) of you Suffers a sickness half as great as mine This empathy shows a hu small-arme caring side despite his elevate d status he is not at all different from his people. This suggests that although Oedipus is treated almost god-like, he skunk identify with the average person. This helps with the sense of hearings identification with Oedipus. Towards the end the listening see Oedipus large capacity for love and affection even after his fall. He loves his daughers But my unhappy daughters, my two girls,Whose chairs were always set beside my own This beautiful perceptiveness into the relationship between Oedipus and his daughters shows Sophocles uncanny ability to express emotion, and would appeal to the consultation, we can all identify with familial love. Oedipus is determined in his struggle, and as an earshot we identify with this as normal average human beings we have to be determined in order to overcome struggles in action. He endlessly struggles to find the truth of his identity Stop Who were they? Who were my p arnts? Tell me I mustiness(prenominal) ask how is wishing to k instant aneously the truth surrounding a privy background deemed as hell-bent? Surely that is what constantlyyone strives for in liveness is the ancient Greek aphorism Know Thyself. Every common person can identify with this it is not confined to the great and mighty. Oedipus speech here is exclamatory and conveys a note of desperation the audience can obtain a sense of his real sunburn desire to know himself. Oedipus also has characteristics in himself that we can identity with not because they are admirable, but because they are flaws, which all of public possess.The audience can see a glimpse of arrogance and vanity, when he says Whose fame is known to all but to modern-day Greeks pride was not at all a weakness. However, to a modern audience, Oedipus would seem arrogant here, and this maybe shows a more unappealing side to humanity. It begins to emerge that Oedipus has an unrelenting quest for knowledge, and is no pushover But if you keep silent, if any man Fearing for self or friend shall disobey me The audience glimpses of how impatient and inquisitive Oedipus actually is, as he poses a quick fire of questions towards Creon, e. g. Where was he murdered?In the palace here? Or in the country? Or was he abroad? This could perhaps provide a good argument for the above statement that Oedipus is hell-bent on following this mistaken path of action. However, I tone of voice that everyone at some point is determined to follow something mistaken, and it is how they deal with their illusion that really determines their heroism. This is what the above statement ignores the tragic hero isnt determined by the events leading to their downfall, but more so how they respond to these events. There is a marked change in Oedipus, his tone changes one of irritability wherefore, what is this?Why are you so despondent. Throughout the quick dialogue with Teiresias the audience are shown a less controlled Oedipus But to withhold your knowledge This is wrong un-American t o the city of your birth. There is a repetition of negatives here, and a critical inculpatory tone. Oedipus is now more exclamatory You villain There is a ageless questioning by Oedipus, and the flow of speech between the characters is more garbled and jagged than previously. This is achieved by the use of many hyphens and short sentences You do not know- therefore I am the villain This again creates a more more chaotic and less controlled side to Oedipus he is not staring(a) which I actually obtain helps us to empathise with him, and consequently are more able to share in his misfortune. Teiresias appears to try and can Oedipus mistaken path of action in the same way that Biff tries to stop Willy I am not a leader of men, Willy, and neither are you but both Oedipus and Willy are similarly strong of characters to be swayed. This detestation was planned and carried out by you which shows the irrational side to his character, and the simple fatuousness of it all.I think Oedipus anger is pardonable with Thebes in great endangerment he cannot get to the core of the mystery when Teiresias refuses to speak. Also, the refusal is incriminating and it was not obscure for a king to be plotted against, so I could fight that Oedipus is not only irrational. Greeks were accustomed to taking the oracles words with a tittle of salt, the oracle had not supported Athens in either the Persian or Peloponnesian War, and so I think a contemporary audience would be able to identify more with Oedipus at this point, and we may not see more than Oedipus in ourselves, The concept of oracles is very international to us.There are however, some parts of the play were we cannot share or identify with Oedipus suffering s express because it is so far removed from what we know. For example, Oedipus downfall is extremely intense. The language and imagery in describing this terrible downfall is mystifying and evocative Showers of black rain and blood-red hail together i s said by the messenger in describing how Oedipus has blinded himself he also speaks of the common storm of the conserve and wife. Oedipus also despairs Oh cloud of darkness abominable. This graphic storm metaphor is use extensively throughout the play, and conveys to the audience the catastrophic disharmony between man and nature caused by chaos in the royal house of Thebes. The Greeks had a dangerous freedom in their open society which could perhaps be a reason why Oedipus is so hell bent on following this mistaken path. Each individual is un-accommodated and alone with nothing to confine him. It adds unparalleled terror to the Greek tragic vision we can see from the devastating downfall of Oedipus that the gods were unpredictable no Greeks expected perfect justice from them.In modern society, most people trust the goodness of their God and stay put under the shadow of the Almighty. From this viewpoint I feel that a modern audience could perhaps not share so oft in Oedipus suffering, because they dont expect it. But in his downfall we also see persuasiveness in Oedipus and this is where we feel relieved or uplifted, and the completion of the catharsis. When Oedipus returns to the stage blinded, the audience know that he has passed through the dark night of the soul and has survived the worst.At this stage Oedipus joins the chorus in a lyrical exchange, a kind of duet that begins with an outcry of pain and suffering Alas alas and woe for my misery . In joining the chorus in song meter, he expresses with a new level of emotion and sympathy with humanity. This is in stark seam to his previous commanding distance and he can now identify and stand beside mere mortal man which he is himself. I think this is one of the most important parts of the play with regards to Oedipus being presented as a hero.We can identify with him because even if he did pursue a hell-bent path he do it out alive and can now empathise with the rest of humanity. A tragic her o must acquire a tragedy or else they are not heroic, and I definitely can say Oedipus encounters a tragedy. Oedipus does not flinch or brood away from what he has dome he speaks clearly And she that bore me has borne too my children. This admittance and courage shows the endurance of the human spirit, Oedipus transcends suffering. The audience testament feel a degree of optimism for humans all is not lost in Oedipus Tyrannus.Oedipus, unlike before, now accepts his destiny My fate must take the escape it will and accepts it quietly and calmly. The audience do not see the common self-pity of the superstar in this tragedy unlike others e. g. Lear in Shakespeares King Lear. Oedipus remains a tower of strength. Oedipus here cotton ups the best qualities found in humans. Aristotle stated that it is the tint of the heros response to the peripeteia and the manner in which he confronts it that determines his essential deserving as a tragic hero and gives him ultimate tragic st atus.Oedipus, in coming through the dark night of the soul, confronts his destiny with courage and bravery. This is echoed in Willy Loman, who neer gives up his dream of success for him or his son Biff. To imply that Oedipus is on a hell-bent path suggests that fate has victimised him. I believe this is not true Oedipus could have left the plague in Thebes, he could have left the murder of Laius un-investigated and he could have not pressed Teiresias or the herdsman for the truth. However, his piety, justice, and desire for knowledge meant that he must.And consequently it is his character that has caused the tragedy his good and bad qualities his human qualities and so indeed I find that we do share his suffering and misfortune. Willy is a harvest-feast of the optimistic post war society, and he has a real burning desire to sell and succeed Goddammit, I could sell them This is admirable, and shows an iron ending as well as joyous enthusiasm in Willys character, and so one could argue that like Oedipus iron determination, Willy has aspects in his character that highlight the best in humanity.He has a real sense of contender, and acknowledges that the competition is maddening Willy doesnt accept this competition with defeat he presses on he even states to Biff Never leave a job manger youre finished. I dont see how striving till the very end, regardless of how victorious you are in monetary terms, is considered hell-bent. Willy loves his family The man who never worked a day but for your benefit and I feel that the audience would definitely share in his suffering and misfortune millions of people today strive to provide for their families.Willy is an admirable in his determination for success for his family I get the expression that Ill never sell anything again, that I wont make a living for you, or a business for the boys. The audience feel a sense of pathos, Willy is striving for a better life for his family, and his struggle is against a mi ghty and powerful force, that at long last leads to his demise quite like the gods in Oedipus Tyrannus. Like Oedipus, although he cares for his family deeply, his cram to preserve his personal high-handedness and honour surpasses their need, and this could perhaps explain why he chooses to kill himself leaving Linda with nothing.External forces such as consumerism also shape Willys way of thinking, and would have affected millions of people in that decimal point in America. Consumerism was a major force in the late forties, with families having more disposable income and industry and economy booming, consumer products were churning out faster than ever before to meet the demand. This is demonstrated in Death of a Salesman theres nine-sixty for the washing-machine. And for the vanity cleaner theres three and a half speaks Linda in Act One, and Willy laments how we shouldve bought a well-advertised machine.Arthur miller denounces consumerism through Willy Once in my life I wo uld like to own something outright before its broken. A contemporary audience should be able to identify with this, that Willy has an up-hill struggle against a corrupt society. Willys mistaken path is not entirely his own doing, but the above statement does not consider these external factors in shaping Willys destiny. Willy lies unthinkingly it is almost like an spontaneous reaction.The audience can see though Willys later hesitance, stuttering and pauses Well, I I did about a hundred and eighty-gross in Providence showing the extreme divergence between his dreams and his reality. This shows his insecurities behind the bravado Im fat. Im very foolish to look at, Linda. These touching moments show the deep-seated insecurities within Willy and I think the audience will be able to identify with Willy at these times and sympathise with him. Although Willy may be deluded and lie unthinkingly, we can see that he is not completely deluded though, and in this strange metaphor The w oods are burning Willy is realising that his dreams are going up in smoke. This is juxtaposed with the realist vernacular that occurs throughout the play, and suggests this limn is of great importance that Willy is aware that his path is mistaken. However, it suggests that at this stage, he must continue to follow it to retain a sense of personal dignity. This shows the complexity of Willys decisions, and I feel the above quote trivialises them somewhat. Willy is tired and exhausted this is made clear in the stage directions Even, as he crosses the stage to the opening of the house, his exhaustion is apparent.He unlocks the door, comes into the kitchen, and thankfully lets his burden down. This staging helps to enhance the realness of Willys character, and the audience can see visually as well as from the dialogue this mans exhaustion. This very humanistic portrayal of Willy would strike a note with the audience, and I feel that we can share in his suffering, and that he is no t following this mistaken path for trivial reasons he genuinely wants to be better. We can also see in Willy the worst in ourselves this man has many flaws.There are no attempts to idealise Willy he is perhaps an anti-hero, and Arthur Miller states that this tragic process is not beyond the common man. As an audience, we should be able to identify with Willys suffering and misfortune even more than Oedipus, as it is not so far removed from our own selves. Willy can be rude and dismissive Dont be a pest Bernard What an anaemic, his language here being vulgar and childish. He can also be intensely angry at the people who love him he is seen on stage as exploding at her (Linda).He also betrays Lindas trust in his affair with the woman which, in repositing time comes back to mend him The WOMANS laugh is heard. Willy Shut up Willys interior is explored through the use of memory time. Willy often reverts into episodes of memory time when reality becomes too hard to bear. From a p sychological point of view, it shows that Willy is perhaps trying to repress the pain he is feeling. This enables the audience to see a more rounded view of Willys situation, and we are shown his mental suffering graphically, which increases our sympathy for this character.The staging in Oedipus Tyrannus is much simpler and relies mostly on the dialogue and so a modern audience may not be able to identify as much with Oedipus, as we do not see such detail into his mind. different characters also highlight Willys suffering Linda says Hes been trying to kill himself. Is Willy finally well-favored in to his failure? We see however, later on in the play, that his attempts to kill himself are not because he is admitting failure, but to gain i20,000 in life insurance in order for Biff to become successful Its twenty dollar bill thousand dollars on the barrelhead.Guaranteed, gilt-edged, you understand? he tells Ben in a pretended episode. Ben uses the sinister metaphor The jungle is d ark but full of diamonds, Willy to place Willys suicide. This is perhaps a point in the play were I do agree with the expressed view hell-bent on following a mistaken path. Willy has such determination that he will end his own life to secure some sort of success. I feel that here the audience would find it hard to identify with this most of us would never go this far, and I think most of us would realise how success is not the most important thing in life.For Willy though, it is what he has based his on the whole life on, and like Oedipus, he wants to preserve that honour. Miller states that the tragic feeling is evoked in us when we are in the presence of a character who is ready to lay down his life, if need be, to secure one thing his sense of personal dignity. This perfectly describes Willy, and so, even if we cannot perhaps identify specifically with his struggle, we are still in the presence of a tragic hero. We could ask however, does Willy need to lay down his life for h is personal dignity?It doesnt matter what we think, because for Willy, this is the only way to. I feel that Willys path is sure as shooting more hell-bent than Oedipus in that Willy never gains self-knowledge or approaches an anagnorisis of what he authentically is, Biff sadly states in the Requiem He never knew who he was. Whereas Willy dies perhaps in vain, Oedipus survives the dark night of the soul, and accepts his destiny. This could be why audiences more readily see Oedipus as a tragic hero whom we can see the best and worst of ourselves in.