Resilience is a special property of the human psyche that exists as a defense mechanism. A resilient personality is able to overcome difficulties and withstand stress, logically and practically comprehending the surrounding obstacles. World literature is full of examples of characters who successfully struggle with all the trials prepared by fate, which is why such characters can be called resilient. However, there are many examples in the history of literature of such characters who react to problems in a more complex and non-trivial way. Hamlet from the tragedy of the same name by Shakespeare and the hero of the ancient tragedy of Sophocles Oedipus Rex are just among such ambiguous characters. Both of these heroes demonstrate their resilience in different ways, revealing new facets and dimensions in how the human psyche functions. Hamlet is presented as a more resilient character than Oedipus Rex, however, depending on the very interpretation of the concept of resilience, this idea can be reversed.
The plot of the tragedy of Sophocles is built on a chain of accidents, which are in fact the fatal will of the powerful gods. King Oedipus is predicted that he should become the murderer of his own father and lie down with his mother, while the future king himself is a foundling by the will of circumstances. In the course of the development of the tragedy, Oedipus, having received a fatal prophecy from the oracle, tries to avoid his fate, in particular, he flees from his homeland in order not to fulfill his destiny. Fate turns out to be, as often happens in Greek tragedies, more cunning than the protagonist, and only after a long time Oedipus learns that in a random fight he killed his own father.
The very essence of the tragedy embodies the ideas of ancient civilization – a person should be submissive to God’s will and fate, since it is impossible to avoid or deceive from them. Oedipus’s attempts to cope with his fate are futile, but they also prove his obstinacy as a character (Quayson, p. 227). Oedipus Rex does not adapt to the circumstances, but seeks to change them. At the same time, it cannot be said that, having learned about his committed atrocity, he shows the resilience or at least the flexibility of his psyche. Initially, Oedipus really adapts to the judgment pronounced by heaven and strives to avoid it in every possible way – this steadfastness in the face of fate can be called resilience. Upon learning that he accidentally killed his father, Oedipus gouges out his own eyes, which symbolizes the blindness of a person in front of divine providence. The reader cannot claim that Oedipus is resilient, for the tragedy of life leaves him broken and helpless. Trying to hide from the predestined blows of fate, he does not withstand them, but on the contrary, loses his personality under their yoke.
The tragic story of Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark, on the other hand, is built according to somewhat different laws of later and more complex and manneristic literature. Hamlet represents a unique character, before which there were no analogues to him – a reflective person. A feature of the Prince of Denmark is the characteristic ability to constantly doubt and philosophize. Hamlet arrives in the Danish kingdom only to find out that his father was killed by his own uncle, who married his mother. Here there are unconditional echoes with the tragedy of Sophocles in the aspect of dramatic drinking, which also gives additional reasons for comparing these tragedies. Hamlet also finds himself faced with the blow of fate – the death of his father, but he cannot feel guilty about this.
The Prince’s guilt expresses itself in the oppressive feeling of anger and frustration, in the rebellious choice-making if he should take revenge or not, and even whether he should continue his existence at all. Hamlet’s most famous monologue is devoted to the issue of suicide, which is especially no coincidence given that his bride Ophelia loses her mind and drowns herself in the river. The reader cannot say that Hamlet is crushed by the blow of fate, however, his tendency to think, superimposed on tragedy, clearly deforms his psyche, making him a gloomy and even doomed figure. Psychological stability of Hamlet is quite high despite the fact that from time to time his condition borders on insanity (Anand, p. 50). One can only guess whether the ghost of Hamlet’s father is a real autonomous person in the world of this tragedy, or whether it is just a phantom of Hamlet’s disintegrating consciousness, embodying his guilt. Hamlet is able to avenge the death of his father and even reveal Polonius as a criminal. He does this through the finest procedure of theatrical production of a plot that repeats the setting of the tragedy, that is, the fratricide of Hamlet’s father by Polonius.
This means that, on the one hand, Hamlet is a character with a split in personality, restless, on the verge of insanity. On the other hand, he is able to give an account of his actions, to be true to his sense of duty and honor, to do justice. Hamlet’s death at the end of the play is not only a tragedy, but also a triumph, as Hamlet manages to overcome the obstacles of the newly established order and still complete the revenge by stabbing Polonius on a duel. At the same time, Oedipus Rex is an example of a tragic hero who strives to withstand the mental pressure of circumstances, but as a result breaks down under its inexorable horror.
In conclusion, it should be said that the difference between the two characters lies in how and when their consciousness manifests resilience. Oedipus Rex initially valiantly copes with terrible omens, solves the riddle of the Sphinx, performs other deeds, that is, he is an example of a psychologically and morally stable person. However, the shock of the loss of parents due to one’s own fault, combined with the fulfillment of the oracle’s prophecy, strikes such a crushing blow to the hero’s psyche that the hero loses his personality, reason, social status, and even vision. Hamlet is a tragic character, but of a completely different type. His personality is not destroyed, but formed over the course of the tragedy. Collisions with fate, if they do not harden him, then make him a person who is able to fulfill his inner duty. Hamlet’s madness and confusion is just background noise for the real action he takes. Therefore, one can say that both heroes show psychological resilience, but the one who shows it at the most fatal moment, that is, Hamlet, is more resilient.
Works Cited
Anand, Manpreet Kaur. An Overview of Hamlet Studies. Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2019.
Quayson, Ato. Tragedy and Postcolonial Literature. Cambridge University Press, 2021.