Two Men Destroyed by a Secret Essay Example for Free

Two Men Destroyed by a Secret Essay The characters of Oedipus from Sophocles Oedipus the King, and Torvald from Henrik Ibsens A Dolls House, while coming from two different periods in time, are in some ways very similar. Torvald and Oedipus share many qualities, such as arrogance and a fiery temper. Their lives also mirror each other in many ways. They were both prestigious well-off men with powerful positions, happy families, and everything to lose. Both men were destroyed by the revelation of a secret, which had been kept from them by their wives. Oedipus and Torvald both seem to be created by the author to have their lives shattered by a secret, and this premeditation by the author is the cause for the similarities between both the personalities and biographies of the two characters. Torvald and Oedipus share a great number of traits and flaws giving them similar personalities. Oedipus and Torvald are both arrogant stubborn men who are quick to anger and are often too curious for their own good. We are provided with spectacular evidence of Torvalds temper during the last act of the play. Torvalds explosion of anger upon the discovery of Noras secret, shows us the extent of his fiery temper. Torvalds statement, You Miserable thing, what have you done? (Ibsen, pg 104) shows us clearly the rage, which can erupt from his gentle exterior. The same blind rage is also present in the character of Oedipus. On several occasions in the play, he becomes deeply incensed and abandons his wits. This is true of his lengthy dialogue with Tiresias, the following argument with Creon, and the encounter with the Shepard at the end of the play. During this dialogue with Tiresias he remarks, Enough! I wont listen to this sort of talk from you. Damn you! My curse upon you! (Sophocles, pg 29) He is so angry that he dismisses the warning of Tiresias, failing even to consider their dire predictions. The curse he utters against Tiresias was truly a dire action since the ancient Greeks took curses much more seriously than we would today. In the play we see the fulfillment of the curse that Oedipus unintentionally brings upon himself, and from this we can gauge the seriousness of Oedipus statement. Another shared characteristic of Oedipus and Torvald is stubbornness. Oedipus stubbornness is evident in both the scene with Tiresias and the scene with the Shepard. Tiresias is unwilling to speak but (Sophocles, pg 23) Oedipus drives him to it. Oedipus is so stubborn that he ignores the warning of Tiresias, Jocasta and the shepherd not to pursue the issue of his parentage and the identity of Laius murderer. He pushes past all resistance and learns the truth to his own detriment. Torvald also is at times very stubborn. Torvald comments several times that Nora is incredibly stubborn, (Ibsen, pg 61) but it is Torvald that prevails in the battle of will that occurred over Krogstads dismissal. In this argument Torvald shows his resolve by resisting the charms of Nora, leads to the revelation of Noras secret, which shatters their marriage.