In Sophocles “Oedipus Rex” and in the Homer ” The Odyssey”, the two main characters Odysseus and Oedipus both have similar traits like temperament, hastyness, and a reckless behavior. Both Odysseus and Oedipus are both arrogant, which lead them to their own demise. Odysseus and Oedipus’s emotions are what usually cause them to be hasty and reckless, because their anger turns into their recklessness. Odysseus and Oedipus both react to different things in a similar fashion, and have similar character traits, like easily getting angered, making decisions based on their emotions, and being reckless.
Odysseus gets angered quickly,because he will not stand for an insult. Odysseus decided to fight against the Cyclops, and test his comrades trust:
Seizing the olive stake, sharp ar the tip they plunged it in his eye, and I perched up above whirled it around. As when a man bores ship beams with a drill, and those below keep it in motion with a strap held by the ends, and steadily it runs; even so we seized the fire-pointed stake and whirled it in his eve. Blood bubbled round the heated thing.(87)
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Odysseus gets angered and tries to take revenge on the Cyclops for eating his comrades, although he was the one who caused this mess by not taking all his men, and he could have just avoided the Cyclops altogether. Odysseus tries to plot against the suitors, because he saw that the servants and the suitors were in love with some of the servants: “The heart of Odysseus stirred within, and in his mind and heart he doubted much whether to hasten afterand deal out death to each, or to allow to the audacious suitors one last and latest night.” At this point Odysseus is thinking of killing or sparing the suitors, because he knew that the suitors were messing around with the servants. After Odysseus gets dissed by the suitors, he decides to kill the suitors, because they also tried to marry Penelope. Odysseus goes on a rampage , and can’t control how many suitors he kills:
He prayed to the daughter of mighty Zeus; then swung his long spear and straight let it fly, and struck Euthipeithus on the helmet’s brazen cheek. This did not stay the spear; the point passed through. He fell with a thud; his arnor rattled round him. On the front ranks Odysseus fell, he and his gallant son, and smote them with their swords and double pointed spears.(238)
Odysseus by now has killed all the suitors, and Athena had to intervene, because she knew that nothing good would come with excessive fighting.
Oedipus gets angered easily whenever he doesn’t get an exact answer, and he pushes people to give him and answer. Oedipus starts to blame Tiresias for the kings death, because Tiresias doesn’t what to tell him what his prediction is: “At least I will not, being so far in abnger, spare anything of what is clear to me: know, I suspect you joined to hatch the deed; Yea, did it-all but slaying with your own hands; and if you were not blind, I should ever the act was you work only! (15)” Oedipus is accusing Tiresias of killing the king, because Tireases does not tell what really happened to the king, so since Oedipus did not get his answer out of angered he accuses Tiresias. Oedipus kills his own father without knowing it, because Oedipus was easy to anger, so then he attacked the chariot after he got provoked. Oedipus recalls killing people where three roads meet:
An I journeyed on, I found myself upon the self-same spot where, you say, this king perished. In your ears, Wife, I will tell you whole. When in my travels I was come near this place where three roads meet there met me a herald, a man that rode in a colt-carriage, as you tell of him, and from the track the leader, by main force and the old man himself, would thrust me. I, being enraged, strike him who jostled me. (31)
After Oedipus figures out that he killed his father and married his mother, he stabs his eyes out, because he got angry with himself. Oedipus decides to stab his eyes out, because he knows that he will never get to see his real father, because he killed him while he was in his chariot. The chorus sings “Would I had never seen thy face! For I lament, even as from lips that sing Pouring a dirge; yet verily it was thou gav’st me to rise and breathe again, and close my watching eyes. (46)” The chorus gives a hint that the stabbed his eyes out, and why he stabbed his eyes out, because the main reason is because he killed his real father due to his temperament.
Odysseus makes many hasty decisions, especially when he is angered, or when he wants something. One of Odysseus’s hasty decisions was when he threw the spear at the, and then later bragged about stabbing the Cyclops in the eye: “ So they spoke, but did not move my daring spirit; again I called aloud out of an angry heart: Cyclops, if ever a mortal man asks you the story of the ugly of the ugly blinding of your eye, say that Odysseus made you blind, the spoiler of cities, Laertes son, whose home is Ithaca. (89)” Because of Odysseus’s initial decision to attack the Cyclops, and then later brag about who did it, the Cyclops tells Poseidon, therefore Poseidon makes many obstacles for Odysseus to get back to his home. Odysseus makes decisions based on what he wants to do. Odysseus wants to listen to the song of the sirens, so he decides to listen to them, while his crew takes care of the boat:
Then one by one I stopped ears of all my crew; and on the deck they bound me hand and foot,upright upon the mast-block, round which they wound the rope; and sitting down they smote the foaming water with their oars. But when we were as far away as one can call and driving swiftly onward, our speedingship, as it drew near, did not escape the Sirens, and thus they lifted up their penetrating voice. (117)
Odysseus decides to plug the ears of all his crew so that they can control the ship, just so that he can listen to the Sirens, although that could still be dangerous for him and his crew. Odysseus makes a bad decision by being incognito when he comes back to his kingdom, because he doesn’t have any control over his kingdom, just because he wants to see what it is like without him: “And, swineherd Eumaeus, you answered him and said I never then shall give that fee for welcome news, nor will Odysseus reach his home. Nay, drink in peace. Let us turn to other thoughts, and do not bring such matters to remembrance. Ah, my heart aches within when one recalls my honoured master! (135)”
Oedipus is arrogant, and doesn’t want to believe, because he thinks he is higher than everyone else, so if he doesn’t like something he doesn’t believe it, similar to Odysseus because he makes decisions based on how he likes the situation. Oedipus doesn’t thinks that Teiresias is lying so he doesn’t believe him, and disses him. Tiresias says to Oedipus “And of woman form whose womb he came both son and spouse;one that has raised up seed to his own father, and ponder what I say; and if you can detect me in alie then come and say that I am no true seer. (19)” Tiresias tells Oedipus what he originally predicted, and was trying to hide from Oedipus, but Oedipus still doesn’t believe Tiresias, because he doesn’t want to believe something that horrible. For the most part Oedipus makes minor bad decisions, compared to Odysseus, but his worst decision was to kill the people where three roads meet, which includes his real father. When he kills his father he fulfills the prophecy that he was given, but continues to deny it:
Messenger I must deliver this for certainty know well, that he has gone the way of mortals.
Oedipus Was it by treason, or some chance disease?
Messenger A little shock prostrates an aged frame!
Oedipus Sickness, you mean, was my poor father’s death?
Messenger Yes, and old age; his term of life was full.(36)
Now since Oedipus learns that his adopted father has died due to old age and disease, he feels like the prophecy is not true, and he tries to deny that he killed people where three roads meet. Oedipus doesn’t believe that he would kill his own father, because he thinks so highly of himself. Oedipus denies that he killed his own father, and he decides to blame Creon and Tiresias for the his father’s death:
Oedipus When he who plots against me in the dark comes swiftly in turn. If I stay quiet, his ends will have been gained, and mine all missed
Creon What is it you want? To expel me from the country?
Oedipus Not at all. Your death I purpose, not your banishment.(25)
Oedipus’s mind is clouded by what he wants, unlike Odysseus who just directly faces the problem head on.
Odysseus make reckless decisions his crew, and even for himself. Odysseus didn’t have to go to the Cyclops cave, and he also decide to only take half of his crew to fight the Cyclops: “Now to my other trusty men I gave command to stay there by the ship and guard the ship; but I myself chose the twelve best among my men and sailed forth. (83)” Odysseus is arrogant and reckless, so he thinks that 12 of his best men would be able to fight against the Cyclops, unlike Oedipus who doesn’t make other people take risks, but he takes risks for himself.
