King Oedipus and king Agamemnon are popular characters in Greek tragedies 1. Both characters have so many similarities and differences, which makes them interesting. These two characters were great kings who had similar tragic downfalls. This paper will argue on the idea that Oedipus and Agamemnon have different and similar ruling strategies This paper will analyze their similarities and differences, using their moirai (fate), family relations and method of governance.
Moirai
Moirai is the fate of an individual, which is determined by the gods. In terms of moirai, king Oedipus in Sophocles’ Oedipus the king and king Agamemnon in Aeschylus’ Agamemnon both face their fate, which is their downfall. At the beginning of both plays, it was evident that both kings were unaware of their unfortunate future. In king Oedipus’s case, he assumed that he escaped the prophecy of murdering his father, Laius king of Thebes and marrying his mother Jocasta, queen of Thebes. Unfortunately for him, he was unaware that he was fulfilling his destiny. A blind prophet named,…show more content… In line 1583-1584, Aegisthus states, “for Atreus, this man’s father, king of Argolis- I tell you the clear story-drove my father forth.” (Griffith & Most 133). Aegisthus, Oedipus cousin talks about Oedipus father at the end of the play. Only his father was mentioned in the play. Agamemnon’s wife was his rival. Clytemnestra plotted to kill him in revenge of her daughter’s death, Iphigenia. In line 1522-1527, Clytemnestra states, “and did he not first of all in this house wreak death by treachery? The flower of this man’s love and mine, Iphigeneia of the many tears.” (Griffith & Most 133). Agamemnon did not care for his family like Oedipus did, especially when he sacrificed his daughter. In addition, during Agamemnon’s return to Argos, his wife gave him a special treatment but he refused it as he returned with a