Essay on Sin in Sophocles Oedipus the King and Ibsens Ghosts

The Impact of Sin in Sophocles Oedipus the King and Ibsens Ghosts Sophocles play Oedipus the King was written for a Greek audience as a religious right and lesson around two thousand years ago, while Ibsens play Ghosts was written as a criticism of the Norwegian participation during the 1890s. Although these plays were written for very different reasons and under different circumstances, the universal theme connecting them is mankinds liability to sin because the moments affect a greater whole. One of the more ad hoc themes of these plays is the negative effect that parents sins have upon the generations to follow. In Oedipus the King, Oedipus is born the son of Laius and Jocasta, the king and queen of Thebes. However, when they hear Apollos prophecy (that Oedipus will kill his father and sleep with his mother) they ascertain to destroy Oedipus. Apollos prophecy made Oedipus an unwanted child. In this case, the parents transgression of the law was that they attempted to defy the gods by evading Apollos prophecy. Later Jocasta states that no skill in the world, energy human, can penetrate the future (Sophocles 201). Oedipus, as a later response to her statement says, ...all those prophecies I feared - Polybus packs them off to sleep with him in hell Theyre nothing, worthless (Sophocles 214). In this way, Oedipus and Jocasta quit believing in the prophecies altogether. In Ghosts, Regine is the result of an affair that Captain Alving had with the housemaid, Johanna. Since Regine is a child born out of wedlock, she is unwanted by Captain Alving because she is the result of his sin, and if anyone were to discover her true origins it could destroy the respect that society has for him. She is also unwant... ...ther sins and results that happened after that would never have occurred. In short, do not let your pride imposture you to the knowledge of those who are wiser than you. In Ghosts, Ibsens message is that the Norwegian society was hypocritical and unmo ral. This is shown through Oswalds suffering because he is simply a victim who is paying for what a hypocritical society permits - mens immorality. The overall idea behind this play is that hypocrites should not criticize others as Manders criticizes Oswald the companions that he chose during his stay in Paris. However, they are twain combined by the intricate link of sin and its effects on the whole. Works Cited Ibsen, Henrik. Four Major Plays. Trans. James McFarlane and Jens Arup. juvenile York Oxford UP, 1998 Sophocles. The Three Theban Plays. Trans. Robert Fagles. New York Penguin Classics, 1984