Literary Devices in “Everyman” and “Oedipus the King”

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Theme
Characters (Protagonist, or Antagonist)
Symbolism
Conclusion
Works Cited

Introduction

Each dramatic work has unique characteristics, the study of which gives an understanding of the main essence of the work. These features are literary devices that are used to form a literary work. As part of this work, such poems as “Everyman” and “Oedipus the King” will be compared.” The main aspects that will be taken as the basis of the analysis are theme, characters, and symbolism. The study of literary works with the help of literary tools is valuable because it contributes to their better understanding and perception.

Theme

“Everyman” is a poem that raises serious moral themes that provide a basis for reflection. This is especially true of literary works, which show how the protagonist overcomes vices, which teach to live by moral principles. This is one of the most prominent themes within this play. As a device to convey the main message, the author uses personification and allegory. Thus, the main character, Everyman, represents not a specific person but the whole of humanity. The author shows how following sins can lead to damnation through this character (Sebastian 3). Thus, the author shows him as a man who succumbs to all possible sins (Various 23). This helps to better show the morality of the work, which is based on the importance of performing good actions, not following vices, and observing morality.

“Oedipus the King” has an easier-to-define theme that the first play. This is because it permeates the entire work and runs through the entire narrative of the main character. Hence, the leading theme in this play is the confrontation of freedom and human destiny. This is because the work talks about a young man’s prophecy was to kill his father and marry his mother (Sophocles 15). Trying in every possible way to change his fate, Oedipus tried to follow his desires. However, despite his attempts, he still fulfilled the prophecy, which plunged him into a terrible state and left his own kingdom (Huang 15). Therefore, the author of the play shows that a person cannot resist fate, and free will is only an imaginary aspect of the activity of individuals.

Characters (Protagonist, or Antagonist)

Of particular importance in any work are the protagonist and antagonist. Through these characters, the authors can successfully and more clearly convey the work’s central message. Thus, the main feature of the play “Everyman” is that the main protagonist has no name and is not a specific character. He was married several times, constantly cheated on his spouse, and had a bad relationship with his children, except for one daughter. As already mentioned, the nameless Everyman is a collective image of all mankind. The issue is that in this literary work, there is no obvious antagonist, a character whom the protagonist would oppose. However, it can be said that it may be death itself since it is against it that the play Everyman fights and is afraid of it.

The main protagonist in “Oedipus the King” is Oedipus himself, who is the center of the narrative of the work. As a child, he was removed from his own home because of a prophecy that was destined for him. He tried to resist his fate; however, unknowingly, he still killed his father and married matter (Falkenstern 161; Lauriola 323). The similarity with the play “Everyman” is that the main antagonist is not a person in this literary work. This is since Oedipus is constantly struggling with fate, which is the antagonist. It is it that creates problems and obstacles in the hero’s life, overcoming which he does not realize that he still follows it.

Symbolism

In both works, symbolism plays a rather serious role. It is on par with the rest of the discussed literary devices, helps to better betray the central message of the plays, and gives complexity to stories. In the play “Everyman,” symbolism is expressed through the work’s main characters, such as Good Deeds, Confession, and Death. Hence, in the example of Confession, it is a character that helps the main protagonist to realize the perniciousness of following sins and to redeem himself from them (Kessler 57). This can be interpreted as a symbol of reconciliation in the church. An equally important symbol is Death, which directly means the end of a person’s life. It becomes an agent that gives the main character an awareness of the inevitability of what awaits him.

In “Oedipus the King,” the leading and most prominent symbol is the eyes of the main protagonist. This distinguishes this work from “Everyman” since the characters are separate from the protagonist. The eyes of Oedipus represent, on the one hand, a strong vision and vision of how the fate of the character should develop. However, at the same time, they symbolize blindness to fate and events that Oedipus cannot prevent in any way. When a character gouges out his eyes, it symbolizes the acceptance of the truth and the fate of Oedipus.

Conclusion

In conclusion, literary works carry specific lessons and messages that can be transmitted with the help of literary devices. Among them, such as themes, characters and symbols can be highlighted. These elements add complexity to the works and contribute to a more detailed disclosure of morality in them. Such plays as “Everyman” and “Oedipus the King” have more distinctive features than similar ones, but they have similarities, and literary devices are used to reveal the essence of the stories.

Works Cited

Falkenstern, Rachel. “Hegel on Sophocles’ Oedipus the King and the Moral Accountability of Ancient Tragic Heroes.” Hegel Bulletin, vol. 41, no. 2, 2020, pp. 159-176.

Huang, Yan. “Study on the Reasons of Oedipus’ Tragic Fate.” International Journal of Education Humanities and Social Science, vol. 2, no. 2, 2019, pp. 13-16.

Kessler, Samuel J. ““My Father’s Face”: Judaism, God, and Ritual Practice in Philip Roth’s Everyman, Indignation, and Nemesis.” Studies in American Jewish Literature, vol. 41, no. 1, 2022, pp. 34-59.

Lauriola, Rosanna. “Oedipus the King.” Brill’s Companion to the Reception of Sophocles, 2017, pp. 147-325.

Sebastian, John T. “Morality Plays.” The Encyclopedia of Medieval Literature in Britain, 2017, pp. 1-6.

Sophocles. Oedipus the King. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2018.

Various. “Everyman,” with Other Interludes, Including Eight Miracle Plays. DigiCat, 2022.

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