A Comparison of Hecuba and Oedipus as Tragic Heroes

As a tragic character, I find Hecuba much less compelling than Oedipus. As I watched the play, I found myself struggling to connect with Hecuba as a human being. It went from there to revulsion for the person she became. Hecuba, as opposed to Oedipus, appeared to be relatively guiltless, undeserving of her misfortunes. She fell from Queen of Troy to a slave of her conqueror. Many of her children died in the war. Cassandra was taken as a war prize for Agamemnon, her daugher was sacrificed on the burial mound of Achilles, and her son, whom she had believed safe, was betrayed by his host and killed for the gold he carried with him. In all of these things, it seemed that Hecuba was completely innocent. She had done nothing to contribute to her misfortunes. In contrast, many of the evils that befell Oedipus could be directly attributed to his pride. Still, I found that I connected better with Oedipus. I saw in him a great man that had a flaw. I understood that he was partially to blame for the horrors that happened in his life, but I also felt that he was not aware of the things he had done. I saw that his flaw led to very serious mistakes--but I connected with that, because I have some minor flaws that have led to serious pain. I felt Oedipus was more human, and easier to relate to, than Hecuba.
As the play progressed, I was repulsed by the revenge Hecuba took on the man who killed her son. Just after her daughter was slaughtered by her enemies, she murdered the two young children of her son's killer, before blinding him. I found it shocking that, after pleading for mercy for her daughter, she was able to heartlessly kill another man's children, even if that man was her enemy. After she had experienced what it felt like to witness the death of all of her children, I couldn't believe she would do that to another person, even if that person was her enemy. While Oedipus committed awful acts--murdering his father, marrying his mother--he did them without being fully aware of what he was doing. He had no idea who the man was he killed--he simply reacted in anger after being attacked on the road. Hecuba seemed to be insane, inhuman, and unfeeling, while Oedipus was shocked and disgusted by the things he had done.
It was interesting for me to realize that I had more pity and feeling for Oedipus than a poor old woman who lost everything, through no fault of her own--but I did. I felt that Oedipus, in the end, showed strength of character, in acknowledging his flaws--the story of Oedipus ends in redemption, while Hecuba's story is one of blood and vengeance and horror. I could not pity the old woman who, after losing everything, chose to knowingly inflict further pain on others.