Comparing Oedipus and Prufrock

Every whizz has at least one soulfulnessal flaw that somehow over nonpluss or defeats them in a real place in time. In this essay, two characters of completely different handle pull up stakes be put side by side to comparing their own tragic flaws. On one hand, Sophocles Oedipus is proud, arrogant and persistent musical composition on the other hand, Eliots Prufrock is self conscious, insecure, and indecisive. While the two characters ar complete polar opposites, they also divvy up a devastating parity they are paranoid and in concern of their own hazard. Oedipus record is clear conveyed as having excessive pride and determination throughout the play.He first travels faraway from Corinth to pr level(p)t an oracles prediction that he would kill his flummox and marry his mother. He arrives in Thebes where the quite a little were distressed over the Sphinxs riddle. Oedipus then sets his mind on solving this riddle in which he succeeds and is awarded the throne to Thebes. This should have been a huge boost of confidence for a man who was worried he would be cursed for the rest of his aliveness. He serves as a loyal King for his people, seeming to want to do the right lightlyg for Thebes, scarce talks with such a self-conceited attitude.In the play, right after receiving news that the preceding kings slayer is residing in Thebes, Oedipus states Well, I will start afresh and once over again win dark things clear. Right worthy the concern of Phoebus, worthy thine too, for the departed I also, as is meet, will lend my aid to avenge this legal injury to Thebes and to the God (Sophocles). With both assurance and superiority in his voice, Oedipus throws it in Thebes hardihood that he has saved them once before, and will do it again by bringing Laius killer to justice. He sets out on finding the person that rack uped King Laius and puts all of his energy, pride, and persistence into it.He acts as a great detective and follows each clue diligently . This helps the play revolve around the suspicion of solving a crime (Rix). By putting together the pieces of the murder mystery, he finally begins to questions himself about his involvement in the assassination and even his own fate. Sophocles Oedipus pursues self-knowledge and at the same time resists it because it may connect him with his onetime(prenominal) (Morgenstern). He eventually finds out that he is indeed his fathers killer and his mothers husband. Oedipus tragic flaws of hubris and determination lead him to machination himself and be exiled just as e said would happen to the manslayer if he was found. Unlike Oedipus, the character in T. S. Eliots Love variant of J. Alfred Prufrock is timid, insecure and indecisive. Throughout the poem, Prufrock is faced with a decision to approach a woman he has developed a liking to, or die hard looking out a lonely window drowning his self thought in an ocean of self doubt. He wants to ask her the overwhelming question, and kinda he purposefully avoids the woman by having personal deviate conversations with himself about his self image. The entire poem is laced with Prufrock asking himself questions.He asks Do I dare disturb the universe? (Eliot) as if the whole ball will come crashing down if he simply talks to her. He wants to wait for the right time, but in the same thought, he knows his historic period are running out he mentions his bald spot and thin arms. Prufrock is so consumed with himself and how others might portray or judge him, that it is paralyzing him from social activities and gatherings. He is going through a mid life crisis that he may have brought on himself by leading an unproductive, bland life and his pretermit of determination and will to change that life may lead him into his fear of being lonely forever.Prufrock is essentially intimidated by women or people in general because he is ashamed of his personal appearance and monotony. one side of his personality believes in th e possibility of having a relationship but the side of his self doubt and pity shackles him from living the life he is clearly screaming out for (Blythe). Towards the end of the poem, he realizes that he will never summon up the courage to talk to the person he admires. He gives up on himself and becomes aware that he has wasted his life asking himself if he should do the things he wanted to do instead of putting his plans to action.Where Oedipus is without a doubt expeditious, stern and decisive in his promises, J. Alfred Prufrock is deficient by being obsessed with taking his time, indifferent and unable to make a simple choice even for himself. However both of these characters share a haunting similarity of fearing the realization that their lives have finally come to a particular point they have been attempting to prevent their whole life. sometimes life presents a person with a deficiency in personality which becomes highlighted in the spotlight while trying to correct that sp ecific trait.In the lesson of Oedipus and Prufrock, their own life flaws are over exaggerated and yet restrained overcorrected, in which they remain troubled with the things they hate about themselves. The two characters failed to refuse a lingering curse which had been following them throughout, eventually sealing their fate with their own personal flaws. Works Cited Blithe, Hal and Sweet, Charlie. Eliots THE LOVE SONG OF J. ALFRED PRUFROCK. The Explicator 62. 2 (2004) 108-110. Literary role Center Plus. Web. Eliot, T. S. The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock. The Norton Introduction to literature Shorter Tenth Edition. Eds. Allison Booth and Kelly J. Mays. New York Norton, 2010. 1015-1019. Print. Morgenstern, Naomi. The Oedipus Complex Made Simple. University Of Toronto Quarterly 72. 4 (2003) 777-788. Literary Reference Center Plus. Web. Rix, Robert W. Was Oedipus Framed? Orbis Litterarium 54. 2 (1999) 134. Literary Reference Center Plus. Web. Sophocles. Oedipus the King. Th e Norton Introduction to Literature Shorter Tenth Edition. Eds. Allison Booth and Kelly J. Mays. New York Norton, 2010.