In Franz Kafka's classic The Metamorphosis, the family members of Gregor Samsa, the main character who is a giant insect, ignore Gregor for the majority of the 'plot. Contempt for Gregor ends up erasing him. In Sophocles' Oedipus Rex, Oedipus neglects the wise words of many oracles and even his mother, leading to his demise. In these two masterpieces, the authors use irony to show that pride, excessive humility and selfishness embody the causes of negligence and thus ultimately lead to a tragic fiasco. Continued contempt for an individual leads to the blight of both parties. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Kafka and Sophocles cleverly allow the reader to suffer throughout the plot with sardonic scenes. Oedipus symbolizes pride, or excessive pride towards oneself. Oedipus, a Corinthian, governs the city of Thebes and defends it as his precious fortress. As a young child, Oedipus kills a "stranger" at a crossroads, but this stranger is later revealed to be his biological father, King Laius. Once Oedipus grows up, he becomes king of Thebes and marries the widowed queen Jocasta although he does not realize that she gave birth to him. During his reign, a plague hits the city of Thebes and an oracle tells Oedipus that Laius's murderer caused the plague. As a result, Oedipus vows to find Laius's murderer and banish him. He calls the prophet blind. The first witness, Teresias, and other witnesses specifically reprimand Oedipus and tell him that he murdered Laius, so that he would get the promised fate. Although Theresias warns Oedipus of the torments he will receive, Oedipus ignores it. Sophocles creates irony from this moment because Oedipus has already predetermined his ultimate fate. The neglect of his peers haunted him. Kafka describes a similar case in The Metamorphosis, but instead of his peers, Gregor Samsa, the protagonist of the plot, himself suffers the consequences of neglect. The plot begins with Samsa waking up and discovering that he has mysteriously become a giant insect. As a result, he misses his morning bus to his office and a head clerk comes to his house to discuss with his parents about his absence from the office. Gregor's family needs the financial help Gregor provides them. However, his family discovers that they do not need him, so they (except his mother) neglect him and treat him as a mere pest in the house. Kafka presents the plot with dramatic and situational irony. Gregor ends up committing suicide because he can no longer watch his family suffer. In both works, irony guides the causes of negligence. A character's actions foreshadow the resolution of the plot. In Oedipus the King, Oedipus's hamartia (tragic error) turns out to be his pride. Throughout the play, several examples depict him as a bombastic, grandiloquent king who has no respect for others. As the plot progresses, it also gains splendor. For example, after answering “man” to the unsolved riddle of the Sphinx, he believes he can do anything. All his pride gives him an additional reason to ignore everyone's advice. Whether a blind prophet, an oracle, or even Apollo himself appears to be right, he believes that he alone must be right and that his justice will prevail. Oedipus ends up paying to discount everyone; Jocasta commits suicide, Oedipus goes blind and his children have no future. It can all be summed up by the words of the Chorus: “A black sea of ​​terror overwhelmed him. » On the other hand, Gregor Samsa in The Metamorphosis has too much humility, which causes him to be neglected by the.