Dionysus And Oedipus Comparison

But while the plot is similar under the circumstances of structure and overall progression, the two plays differ in their approach to character, both in terms of physical characteristics and of literary intentions. In both scenarios, such as in case of Oedipus and Dionysus, the two are both of noble origins, the former a god appearing in human form as a middle-aged man and the first of nobility by birth and because of his deeds, which caused him to be revered by the whole town of Thebes and regarded as “master and greatest power” and “the noblest of men” (Sophocles 40 & 47). In these terms both men fit the definition of character for tragedy, whereupon Aristotle states that “[t]ragedy is an imitation of persons who are above the common level.
Dionysus is a coward, as emphasized by his servant Xanthias when he proclaims, “Of all gods and men no one’s more cowardly than you” (Aristophanes 538). Thus while Dionysus holds the status of a god he foremost plays the role of the man with the weaker character, his persona frequently hidden in the shade of his brother Hercules and his cowardice and inadequacy emphasized through his requests of his servant to assist him with tasks requiring bravery. These characteristics in their turn, fit the mold of a personage required for a comedic piece, defined by Aristotle to be “worse” than others (Aristotle 5). The two types of characters, those of a “more serious-people” and “trivial people,” have their unique qualities through which they contribute to the plot, the first imitating “fine actions” and the later imitating the actions of “inferior persons” (Aristotle 7) In fact Oedipus perfectly fits the mold proclaimed by Aristotle to be the perfect choice for a character in a tragedy, ”a sort of person who is not outstanding in moral excellence or justice; on the other hand, the change to bad fortune which he undergoes is [due] … to an error of some