In class we were asked to compare Life is a Dream to The Tempest or some other play we read. Therefore, while reading Life is a Dream I tried to think of all the plays we have studied in this course and how they might compare to this week’s piece. I found that my mind kept going back to Oedipus Rex. Of course, I could see similarities between Life is a Dream and other Shakespearian plays like Hamlet because of the prevalence of revenge. However, in my mind Oedipus Rex seemed to parallel even more than any of the others.
I feel that Life is a Dream reminded me of Oedipus Rex for two reasons. The first and most evident is the interconnectedness of the characters. In Oedipus Rex, Oedipus unknowingly encounters his birth father and kills him. Then, he continues to travel back to his place of birth – back to his home palace – and marries his own mother. This reflects the complex web of relationships between the characters in Life is a Dream. For example, in the beginning of the play, Rosaura finds herself where Segismund is held captive. Segismuns is only visited by one man – Clotaldo, Rosaura’s father. This network continues to get increasingly complex as the play progresses. In addition, the insestual relationship between Oedipus and his mother is paralleled in the relationship between Astolf and his cousin, Stella.
The second way in which Oedipus Rex and Life is a Dream are similar is the way in which fate affects the plots of the two plays. In both works, the kings learn that the heir to their thrones will grow up to fulfill horrific prophecies. In return, both kings take drastic measures to prevent such fate. In the legend upon which Oedipus Rex was written, King Laius is told Oedipus, his son, will kill him and marry his mother. Therefore, Laius decides to send him away. In Life is a Dream, King Basil learns Segismund will be cruel and reckless if allowed to become king. Therefore, he tells the kingdom that the child was stillborn, and he instead locks the child up in solitary confinement (visited only by his tutor, Clotaldo). Granted, Oedipus ultimately fulfills his fate whereas Segismund essentially disproves it. However, the plots of the play are affected by kings who attempt to defy the predicted fates of their sons. Overall, I feel that Life is a Dream is an amazing play – probably my favorite play we have read this semester. With an intricate plot and a surprising ending it was a fun play to read, and I imagine it would be amazing to watch. However, the connected characters and the notion of fate made me see how similar this play is to Oedipus Rex. |
3 Comments:
I'm glad I wasn't the only one who saw a strong resemblance to Oedipus Rex in this play! It's almost a little weird how similar some of their plot points are.
I think Life is a Dream could definitely be compared to a lot of the plays we’ve read in class if we base the comparison solely on the aspect of revenge among the main characters of the play. In almost every play we read at the beginning of the semester, there was an aspect of revenge in each of them; if not avenging the murder of a loved one, but to seek revenge as to ruin a person’s life and knock down their status for ruining the main character’s life. I think the example of Oedipus is a wonderful way to tie Life is a Dream to the other plays we have read. There are striking similarities between the plots of both, and also the twists in both. The incest and realizations of the incest are both very similar in both plays, and I agree that these scenarios are very important to the development of the relations between all the characters.
Very nice meditation. I also really enjoyed this play, even if it was kind of confusing at first. I liked your idea about the connection to Oedipus, you did a very good job of explaining your thoughts and backing them up with examples.
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