Tragedies in Greek theater compared to tragedies in Renaissance theater varied in similarities and differences. Greek theater encouraged the use of religious figures while Renaissance theater was expected to be strictly pagan in its ideologies. Theater was primarily used to portray the social and religious constraints of the time period. For example, Shakespeare's Hamlet and Sophocles' Oedipus Rex are both portraits of deception, murder, and revenge that lead to the death of its main characters. Hamlet is depicted as a young man seeking revenge for his father's death. Oedipus is a king who intends to free the people of Thebes from an illness that afflicts them. They share similarities in that each of their love interests is driven by their pain and anguish, pushing the protagonists further over the cliff. The voice of reason they share is Creon in Oedipus Rex and Horatio in Hamlet. Their tragic flaw is that they are both definitively and completely doomed and no amount of guidance will lead them away from what has been predestined by fate. Ultimately they are condemned to be their own Achilles' heel. In Hamlet religion is not mentioned directly but a distinction is made between Heaven and Hell and between good and evil. Hamlet constantly battles his inner demons as he tries to deal with the unforeseen circumstances of his position. His father's message revealing to him that he was stuck in eternal anguish to pay for his sins during his lifetime causes emotional distress to Hamlet. He questions his position and whether it is the right time to act. “'And then shall I take my revenge by taking him in the purification of his soul, when he is fit and seasoned for his passage? No. Sword up... center of the card... the only woman he loved and Hamlet lost Ophelia, the only woman he truly loved but was stupid enough to tell her the whole truth before she died. Interestingly, both of our protagonists were forced to experience not only the death of their true loves, but also society's silent contempt for the fact that they committed suicide. Tragedies in Greek and Renaissance theater were very effective in portraying the social and religious bonds that contaminated societies. Both playwrights, through the use of their ingenuity and vast literary knowledge, were able to perfect and showcase such flawless performances. The differences and similarities between Greek tragedy and Renaissance tragedy, while vast, can be narrowed down to the audience. Greek and Renaissance theater appealed to very different audiences who required a certain type of performance to be entertained.