The play Heracles and Oedipus the King have a lot in common. Both plays take place in Thebes and both main characters go from great hero to fallen men. Heracles just like Oedipus is considered great men for his actions and heroic fight with numerous evils. He goes to recover the plain of Argos and to perform numerous works for Eurystheus before he enters the last labor in underworld of death. In order to that he levees his kids with his father Amphitryon so he can take care of them. While he is gone Lycus who has a lot of powers from Gods decides to kill them. Heracles father offers to be killed if the children survive Lycus agrees and kill him and his brother. When Heracles comes back from Hades he is very upset and angered he takes his kids home. When suddenly Lycus comes into the house Heracles kills him. The old men rejoice and are happy that bad won with evil. This part of the story is very similar to Oedipus because just like him it seems that Heracle is a hero who did the good for the city.

Just like Oedipus the play has a tragic ending when the house that Heracles is in become the house of madness and Heracle goes insane he decided to kill both of his kids and his wife. When he is finally is stopped he realizes what he has done and wants to die.

Just like in Oedipus the King Heracles family also dies mainly because of Heracles and his own doings. Oedipus decided to punish himself by stabbing his eyes out. Heracles decides to go to Athens where he will be purified of his blood. He understands what Hera did to him was pure evil and he disbelieves Gods.

Both of these plays have similar themes and that is that in the end God have the ultimate say in what will happen in the stories. I also think that these play show how Greek people often thought about heroes they always performed some great thing for the people but in the end they ended up paying for it severely. You can also say that theses plays are similar because in the end both main characters realized their faults which cause there families to be ruined or dead. Both Heracles and Oedipus the king are examples of fallen heroes.