Comparative analysis of multiple readings on a selected topic

Oedipus the King

At the beginning of Oedipus the King by Sophocles, Oedipus clearly sees it as his purpose in life to be the best leader he can. In his mind, this meant to be as close to his people as possible, especially when the play opens and the land being in trouble. This is clear in what he says to those who come to him with the problem of their suffering. Oedipus assures then that nobody suffers more than himself as king, because, while each citizen carries only his or her own suffering, Oedipus suffers not only for himself, but for all the others in his land as well.

As such, Oedipus also considers it his duty to do what he can to relieve the suffering of his people, which is why he sends Creon to the Delphi oracle for divine advice about how to remedy the situation. When Creon returns with news that Laius needs to be avenged, Oedipus is still filled with zeal about doing the right thing and helping his people out of his misery.

It is only when Tiresias begins to indicate that Oedipus himself may be the culprit that he becomes less than enthusiastic about his duty to help his people. This is a clear indication of his pride at the beginning of the play. Oedipus has endless faith in his own ability and purpose to be a good leader to his people. Part of his reluctance to accept his guilt, at least initially, may also lie in the fact that he truly believes there can be no better leader for his people.

Hence, at the start of the play, Oedipus derives meaning from his life by being a good king and leader to his people. On a broader scale, one might interpret this to mean that a purpose of a man's life is to play the role assigned to him in life as well as possible and to the best of his ability. Perhaps this is also why Oedipus finds it so difficult to accept Tiresias' accusations. He has honestly tried to be as good a king as he could, and for a time, he succeeded. In the context of this, one can hardly blame him for his unwillingness to accept a wrong that he was unaware of committing at the time.

Medea by Euripides

Like Oedipus, Medea's initial purpose in life is positive. Falling in love with Jason, she abandons all she know to be with him and have his children. Her life with him starts with her complete devotion to her family. Also like Oedipus, however, this changes in reaction to the events around her. When Jason cheats on her and abandons her, Medea's purpose becomes one of revenge. Her pain, as it were, becomes her purpose.

In contrast to Oedipus, however, she accepts no guilt for any of her actions. Her anger, rather than her devotion, is what drives her. She takes it as far as murdering her own children, in the process wounding herself as well as her faithless husband. Oedipus, on the other hand, accepts his own guilt and wounds only himself, although the unintentional repercussions of his lost sight also wounds his family and by association his kingdom.

Hence, Oedipus' initial reaction to accusations against him is that he cannot be guilty of wrongdoing. When it is revealed that he is indeed guilty, he does not hesitate to take the blame. Medea, on the other hand, does not hesitate to channel her grief into making others pay for their blame. Jason, for example, feels no guilt about betraying her or his children. Being aware of this creates a platform for Medea to escalate her fury to the point where it becomes the entire purpose of her life.

What Euripides appears to imply here about the purpose of life is that people all too often mistake their emotions, or use these emotions, to justify what they believe is the purpose of their lives. For Jason, for example, his purpose in life is to love whomever he finds most appealing at any given moment. Medea's purpose is to go to extremes for the purpose of taking revenge for the wrongs committed against her, even if this means murdering her own children, who are innocent of any wrongdoing.