Mrs. Alving, a main character in Ghost hid many secrets from her son, Oswald and in turn her morals and personal life were viewed upon differently by society. Women of Norway always strived to preserve their reputation and social eminence, but for Mrs. Alving, her reputation was marred. She appeared to have strong religious beliefs and with the exposed truth she could no longer be seen as a righteous individual, causing people in her personal life to have a vast withdrawal. When Regina leaves her house to journey on her own this is the beginning of her withdrawal towards Mrs. Alving.
Oswald, another main character in Ghost, did not tell his mother or Regina that he was sick. The affects of not telling Regina that he was sick caused him to lose her love. If he told Regina before she left that he was sick, she might have stayed and taken care of him, but instead she said “Merci!” (pg, 119) and left with great swiftness. By saying Merci, she was saying bye to every memory and dream with Oswald.
In Oedipus the King, many secrets were kept from Oedipus, the main character of the play. When all his secrets were exposed, his morals and personal life were viewed differently by society. A king is supposed to be an exemplar for his kingdom. A king is not supposed to be a murderer. If a king is a murderer, he could possibly be looked down upon, exiled, or even put to death. When Oedipus proclaimed,
”I this countries reigning king shall sever from all fellowship of speech and shelter sacrifice, and sacrament, Even ritual touch of water, in this realm thrust out from every home well be the very picture of that pestilence he brought upon our city.”(pg 15)
he was proclaiming his morals. He meant he would kill the person who killed Laius and brought the whole city a deadly plague. Oedipus’s personal life was brought to a halt as soon as his secrets were known. Society looked down on him, his wife killed herself, and he became blind.
Jocasta was another main character in Oedipus the king, and she was affected by the secrets exposed. She believed her husband was innocent and that he didn’t commit any crime. “Believe him, I adjure thee, Oedipus, First for his solemn oath's sake, then for mine, And for thine elders' sake who wait on thee.” When Jocasta found out that Oedipus was her son, she was horrified. She knew that society would view her as an incestuous person and her personal life would be ruined. Her marriage was over, due to incest and she also committed suicide, “She killed herself” Oh the struggles of that lost princess!”(Pg 69) These secrets ruined her reputation, personal life, and her morals.
The affects of secrets are just like the affects of lies. More and more secrets are made and a great deal is at stake if it is revealed. In Ghost when Regina found out that she was Oswald’s sister, she immediately left and went to live on her own leaving Mrs. Alving, Oswald’s mother, to take care of him in his sick bed. It also left Mrs. Alving to wallow in regret for ruining the relationship between Oswald and Regina. The secrets in Oedipus the King affected Oedipus’s entire life. When his secrets were revealed, his wife killed herself, he blinded himself, and he was sent away. There are consequences when having secrets. For example, when Oedipus’s assumed parents didn’t tell him they were not his parents, they set him up to actually carry out his fate of killing his father and marrying his mother.
Altogether Ghost by Henrik Ibsen and Oedipus the King by Sophecles were similar dealing with secrets, secrets in Ghost and Oedipus the King made up the excitement and suspense in the plays. Numerous secrets have penalty like the affects of the secrets on Oedipus and Mrs. Alving. Both plays were exceptional, leading the reader to contemplate if it is a good idea to tell secrets and if secrets cause harm to friendships, or maybe to family or even mar morals and character seen by society.
Therefore, secrets have numerous affects on many just like the affects it had on the families in Ghost and Oedipus the King. Secrets told can affect the way the public views a person. Secrets also invade personal lives causing humiliation and the obliteration of reputations and morals. These affects on the family can cause negative situations such as withdrawal and repulsion, but some secrets turn out to have positive affects, for example Regina ended up leaving and starting her life over again when she was told that Oswald and her were siblings. Secrets are used to hide the truth and can affect life as a whole.
