In "Hamlet", King Claudius starts the trend by poisoning King Hamlet so that he can become king. Young Hamlet finds that out, so then in the process of killing Claudius, he accidentally murders Polonious, he drives Ophelia to take her own life, his mother is poisoned by the drink that was meant for him and he gets himself killed in a sword fight. Both Claudius and Oedipus began the murders and at the end, either murdered or self-impose death. .
Oedipus was so obsessed with power ever since he solved the sphinx's riddle, that when the town came to him to find Laius's murderer he was thrilled. Of course he would find the killer. That is the story you know, the killer is himself. And Claudius is also obsessed with power because he poisoned King Hamlet and then married his brother's widowed wife just to be king. And then go on to plan on extraditing young hamlet to England so that he would not be a threat to him during his rein as king. They are both stubborn and want supremacy, and are willing to do anything to be in control. .
In "Oedipus Rex" the audience knows that even though Oedipus is trying to escape his fate, it is going to come true. They know that he will, in time, find out that he really did kill his father and marry his mother. In "Hamlet", the audience knows Hamlets inner thoughts and feelings. They know that he really is not crazy and is just acting that way for it to be acceptable when he kills Claudius. Similar to Claudius, the audience knows also what he is thinking, feeling and plotting. They know that he is scared of Hamlet, that being the reason he wants to send him away. The audience is very aware that Claudius is using Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to help keep Hamlet under a close watch. They know that Claudius plans to have Laertes kill Hamlet in a sword fight using the poison at the end of his sword. But just incase that falls through, the audience is also conscious of the extra poisoned drink for Hamlet that Claudius will be giving him.
