The Cycle of Heroic Virtue in Samson Agonistes and Oedipus Rex

Samson and Oedipus, protagonists of two prominent works of Western literary canon, have dominated many intellectual discourses for centuries. Countless analyses of Oedipus' plight have been made, the most well-known being that of Sigmund Freud, while Samson's actions have been reinterpreted in various ways ranging from that of a martyr to that of a relentless terrorist. However, all those interpretive readings analyzed only the identity of the heroes or their actions. Oedipus's "particular nature" from …

…one takes the Greek and English historical context into account. These were eras with complete political turmoil, in which the societies were on the verge of falling apart. Written during this collective instability, these works attempted to bring order to society by diminishing vicious deeds of singular people. They were tragedies of heroes that tried to prevent the collective tragedy of a community. Whether they achieved this goal remains as a topic for further discussion.