The Human Condition Portrayed in the Odyssey and Oedipus the King - Critical Essay

Introduction

Understanding human nature is essential in the knowledge of the capacity for language, emotional, and reasoning respond to a scientific analysis that assesses their application and relevance to the human condition. The human condition characterizes the important events, occurrences, and situations that define human existence that give meaning to the ambiguous elements of lifeline moral concerns. In the literature world, there are many similarities and differences that the author's audience understands the principles that make comprehensive significant of human characters presented in the different characterization. This paper will discuss the relation of human conditions as applied in the epic poems Oedipus the King by Sophocles and The Odyssey by Homer-based in the ancient Greek literature.

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The Human Condition in The Odyssey and Oedipus the King

Making a thorough analysis on the human condition presented in The Odyssey and Oedipus the King reveals many common similarities as well as the differences in the presentation of conflict emanating from human conditioning involving morality and conflict in social interaction between characters. Characterization of the protagonist in The Odyssey, Odysseus, held in captivity for twenty years by the nymph Calypso shows the deliberate occurrence of situations that helped win the fight a war against the city of Troy. The patient and determination portrayed in the fight place Odysseus, his son - Telemachus -, and wife awaiting his return after the war to the Ithaca palace. During his father's absence, Telemachus is in a constant battle to repel suitors trying to lure his mother Penelope up to destroy his father's marriage and waste his wealth (Homer 13). This scenario in the Odyssey the human condition portrayed by Telemachus in the moral fight to ensure that he preserves his parent's marriage during his father's absence showing his capacity in reasoning and emotional appeal. On the other hand, in Oedipus the King a wild plague breaks in the city-state of Thebes claiming the lives of the big percentage of the population. The situation evokes conflict between the people of Thebes and the king Oedipus placing the responsibility to deal with the menace. In previous recounts, King Oedipus had helped the city solve the riddle of the Sphinx; and in this plague incidence, the city was now infested with multiple cases of stillbirth, crops blight, cattle sickness, and women's death during childbirth, the. The human condition affecting the King Oedipus brings out the spirit and condition of restoring the meaning of life to the traumatized people of the city of Thebes. The protagonist, ts in the two epic poetry piecework in King Oedipus and Odysseus portray similar traits in their humanitarian commitment to ensure that the people of their kingdoms are safe from the things that threaten their peaceful coexistence earning them the well-respected reputation of the leadership of the people in their cities.

The Characterization of Odysseus in The Odyssey

In the Odyssey, Zeus shows the respect of the people when he orders his daughter Athene to visit Odysseus' family to inform them that the king was alive. When Odysseus embarked on his mission to save the people from the Trojan war he left his home and everything about his life was jeopardized, his home, kingship, wealth, wife, as well as his son. The vulnerability and strength of his wife's key to the throne placed her in an awkward situation with unwanted suitors who were after the powers and wealth that would emanate from a marital reunion with Penelope. Odysseus's son, Telemachus is the apparent heir of the throne and is constantly endangered as he wades away his mother's suitors, but his lack of power to control the land and the formal systems of justice support places him in very delicate situation on the fate of his father's kingship and the safety of his mother (Homer 13). The situation places the city of Ithaca on the verge of a civil war if Penelope does not choose a suitor soon. Odysseus is a combination of a self-assured self-molded man with a strong understanding of the culture of his people. He has earned mortal respect and admiration and the favors of the gods to overcome the wrath that was so determined to stop his homecoming after the successful completion of the Trojan War. Although his life is faced with a series of contradiction, this stereotypical impressive hero overcomes the humanistic conditioning that complicates his life due to his intellectual abilities. He is logical in the application of philosophical perception of the art of drama when making important decisions in life. In the character development of Odysseus Homer portrays the effective blend of virtues and vices in the character because of his personality traits. Odysseus is self-disciplined, honorable, but at the same time lies even to his family and gets his hands dirty with stealing. In his venture in the city of Troy, he learned many discipline elements that prepare him for his homecoming challenges. He has learned self-control and is thoroughly cautious about the people surrounding him. In the life, situation struggles his character develops in realistic and credible properties to ensure that he maintains his end of the bargain with the life hardships. He is able to maintain his human conditioning because it is only natural for him to react the way he did to the struggles he was dealing with at home and during the war.

The Protagonist's Responsibility in The Odyssey and Oedipus the King

Consequently, in Oedipus King, the people of Thebes city crowned the protagonist king for solving the Sphinx riddle. The two main characters in both cases showed their sense of responsibility in bringing meaning and morality in the lives of the people who looked up to them. When Odysseus embarked to the Trojan war and King Oedipus sends his brother-in-law Creon to Oracle of Apollo in search of the proper answer to solve the plague affecting their city. In their humane conditioning, both characters played saviors of their people when Odysseus steered the win against the war facing the city of Troy and Oedipus solving the plague and Sphinx riddles (Hall 19). This type of character showed selflessness and will to sacrifice their lives for others people. The two characters, Odysseus and Oedipus were willing to go an extra mile to ensure that the lives of the people who depended on their leadership abilities revealing their ideal personality traits.

However, due to the series of tragic episodes in their life causes both Oedipus and Odysseus into tragic flaws in reflecting their moral disposition. Sophocles character development of Oedipus presents a mixture of tragic experiences in the struggle against the vices in the city of Thebes wasting his good reputation. This agonist struggle to suppress the evil elements in his life dawns his fate to be written off by the disaster that he desperately sought to avoid. The author's choice of satire in his life begins with the meaning of the name Oedipus that is a Greek phrase for swollen foot condemning his to ill-fated episodes of his life struggle that started at birth. The superstition passed to his parent on his birth that he would later in life kill his father and marry his mother made them throw him away on the third day after his birth. Oedipus was saved by the shepherd who was supposed to throw him on the cliff of the mountain Kithairon but was given away to the shepherd of King Polybos.

Conclusion

In the new kingdom, he earned the name owing to his swell foot mark left by the skewer his parents used to pin his legs together in preparation for throwing him away. After growing up in Corinth he escapes upon learning of his fateful doom goes to Thebes and unsuspectingly marries his mother after killing his father not knowing their identities (Hall 22). The Aristotle philosophical satire in the art of drama classifies king Oedipus tragic life into a tragic hero. Although he was very dedicated to better the lives of the people in Thebes city he becomes the villain in the story because of his doomed path in life. The moral ethics of his conduct get judgmental when he marries his mother despite the fact that he did not know her true identity after killing the father in the fulfillment of his tragic-destiny in life. In this tragic situation, Oedipus weakness in overcoming the inevitable in his life's destiny makes the audience understand the humane situation the heroic character of Oedipus not saving himself from the ill-fated destiny. The human condition in his ability to build his world free from flaws was almost impossible because he found himself in the wrong side of the molarity even without knowing the consequences of his actions were destined to fulfill the rumor of his ill-fated tragedy.

Works Cited

Hall, E. (1994). "Introduction". Sophocles: Antigone, Oedipus the King, Electra. Oxford University Press. pp. xix-xxii. ISBN 0-19-282922-X.

Homer, (1996). The Odyssey. Translated by Robert Fagles. Introduction by Bernard Knox. United States of America: Penguin Books. p. 13. ISBN 978-0-14-026886-7.