The Impact of Sin in Sophocles' Oedipus the King and Ibsen's Ghosts Sophocles' play Oedipus the King was written for a Greek audience as religious law and lesson about two thousand years ago, while Ibsen's play Ghosts was written as a criticism of Norwegian society in the 1890s. Although these works were written for very different reasons and in different circumstances, the universal theme that connects them is humanity's responsibility towards sin because the results affect a greater whole. One of the most specific themes of these plays is the negative effect that the sins of parents have on the generations that follow. In Oedipus the King, Oedipus is born the son of Laius and Jocasta, king and queen of Thebes. However, when they hear Apollo's prophecy (that Oedipus will kill his father and sleep with his mother) they decide to destroy Oedipus. Apollo's prophecy made Oedipus an unwanted son. In this case, the parents' transgression of the law consisted of an attempt to defy the gods by evading Apollo's prophecy. Later Jocasta states that “no skill in the world, nothing human, can penetrate the future” (Sophocles 201). Oedipus, as a later response to his statement says, "...all those prophecies I feared - Polybus sends them to sleep with him in hell! They are nothing, worthless" (Sophocles 214). In this way Oedipus and Jocasta stop believing in the prophecies altogether. In Ghosts, Regine is the result of an affair that Captain Alving had with the maid Johanna. Since Regine is a child born out of wedlock, she is unwanted by Captain Alving because she is the result of his sin, and if anyone were to discover her true origins it could destroy the respect society has for him. She is also unwanted... middle of paper... the sins and consequences that happened after would never have happened. In short, don't let your pride blind you to the knowledge of those who are wiser than you. In Ghosts, Ibsen's message is that Norwegian society was hypocritical and immoral. This is demonstrated by Oswald's suffering because he is simply a victim who pays for what a hypocritical society allows: the immorality of men. The general idea behind this play is that hypocrites should not criticize others; while Manders criticizes Oswald for the company he chose during his stay in Paris. However, both are united by the intricate bond of sin and its effects on the whole. Works Cited Ibsen, Henrik. Four main comedies. Trans. James McFarlane and Jens Arup. New York: Oxford UP, 1998Sophocles. The three Theban comedies. Trans. Robert Fagles. New York: Penguin Classics, 1984