Oedipus As A Hero In Dr. Faustus

In the play Oedipus, while hearing the prophet Tiresias supplicating to the gods Oedipus proclaims, “You pray to the gods, Let me grant your prayers”(Line245). In this case Oedipus’ hubris is clearly manifested, as he let his pride of past actions elevate

The author of Oedipus, Sophocles, introduces a worthy rival to the main character Oedipus.Tiresias, who considers himself to be an equal to the Great King. Tiresias admits, “You are a king. But where the argument’s concerned // I am your man, as much as a king as you.// I am not your servant, but Apollo’s.”(Sophocles) While simultaneously trying to defend his honour and bring justice to Thebes, Oedipus argues about the integrity of Creon’s source. Tiresias retorts Oedipus’ impulsive accusations, in a studious, and King like manner.Tiresias’ diligent retaliation is dramatically significant because it develops Oedipus’ character; Oedipus is humanized and revered less as a God because of his flaws. The power dynamic shift causes the audience to become more judgemental of Oedipus since someone is holding him accountable for his behaviour. Additionally, the passage adds to the mystery of the plot and creates suspense, through Sophocles’ use of paradox, and imagery which cause the mood to change and creates a compelling story. Both of these elements cause the audience to pay attention to the drastic changes in character, and mood, to highlight the major theme of pride, power, and fate. Ultimately, the passage is intended to show the ignorance of Oedipus, and the awareness of Tiresias, who are symbols for the pervasiveness of fate.

"A man doesn't become a hero until he can see the root of his own downfall." -Aristotle No one wants to be a tragic hero. A great or virtuous character, but sadly they are destined for downfall because of their own judgement. Sophocles’ Oedipus exemplifies Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero.

What qualities set a tragic hero apart from an archetypal hero? According to Aristotle, a tragic hero must possess qualities such as a noble birth, some form of a tragic flaw or mistake, the loss of something valuable, and to be considered morally or ethically like the audience or better than them. Sophocles’ character Oedipus would be deemed a tragic hero due to the fact that he is highborn, prideful, and loses his eyes and throne by the end of his story. Oedipus became the King of Thebes by defeating the sphinx that plagued the city, ironically though, after murdering Laius, the throne was technically already his.

There are certain elements present in tragic stories that qualify them to be identified as tragic. Because tragedy as a genre was not an inexorable matter, authors have been able to take it into their own hands, diverting from the traditional styles as they desire. Among the traditional elements of the genre is the inclusion of a tragic hero who finds defeat through his fatal flaw. While still confining to certain attributes of tragedy, these remodeled stories portray tragic heroes in an especially unique way. Two such tragic tales that modify the idea of a tragic hero are Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex and Euripides’ Medea. The characters Oedipus from Oedipus Rex and Medea from Medea alter the perception of tragic heroes evident in their many differences and few shared tragic hero qualities.

According to the great French playwright, Jean Racine, “Life is a comedy to those who think, a tragedy to those who feel.” (“Quotes about Tragedy”). Racine’s observation would likely be embraced by the playwrights of ancient Greece, where plays were written in the style of three major categories: comedy, tragedy, or satyr play. According to Jacobus, Greek tragedies were the first plays to be performed in competition (Jacobus, 30). Plays are classified as tragedies when they present a powerful protagonist undergoing extreme suffering, the theme of fate, and the end-goal of a catharsis. Tragic heroes are defined by their easily identified character development pattern, as well as their tragic flaw. Oedipus Rex is the perfect example of a tragedy, and the protagonist, Oedipus, is the quintessential tragic hero.

Killing his father, marrying his mother, blinding himself, abandoning his country; these are all actions the main character, Oedipus, commits in Oedipus the King and Oedipus at Colonus, which adds to his tragic heroicness. He starts off with the potential to be great, but was doomed to eventually fall and by the end, he meets his moral victory. Although some may disagree with the fact that Oedipus is a tragic hero, there are a plethora of examples to prove that he is the tragic hero of both plays. In fact, almost every major action Oedipus takes throughout the two plays are actions that could qualify him as being a tragic hero.

In Sophocles' captivating ancient Greek tragedy play widely known as Oedipus Rex, which was performed at the Dionysiac Festival that was in honor of Dionysus, the god of wine and revelry a.k.a partying. Sequentially, Oedipus Rex is the first in a trilogy, that encompasses of Oedipus Rex, Oedipus at Colonus, and Antigone. During Sophocles lifetime, the plays were performed by three actors who played all of the characters. In fact, Sophocles before his plays were staged , ancient Greek plays only used two actors. The protagonist of Oedipus Rex is Oedipus, and he is condemned for destruction. This play is set in ancient Greece, specifically the city of Thebes and Oedipus's palace. Oedipus is indeed a tragic hero, who's life seems to be filled

Oedipus’s world revolves around the realms of power, truth, and ego. Throughout the play the astounding sense of pride is apparent, Oedipus’s crucial belief that he can overcome his fate through the play shows his pride and ego. “I thought it wrong, my children, to hear the truth from others, messengers, Here I am myself- you all know me, the world knows my fame: I am Oedipus” (Oedipus the king p.159) Oedipus calls his people “My children” this suggests his sense of condescending control. Oedipus refers himself as “I, Oedipus, a name that all men know” this shows the audiences that he is aware of his power and reputation. All of Oedipus’s pride may have come from the belief that he has escaped his fate.

exercising his free choice by making bad decisions . Oedipus certainly meets these portrayals of a tragic hero. The dialect of tragedy consists of two circles: one is a relative point and the other is impacted and the effect on its audience. Sophocles and Aristotle’s achieve that task with absolute clearness. The modern reader, coming to the classic drama not entirely to the enjoyment, will not always surrender himself to the emotional effect. He is apt to worry about Greek ‘fatalism’ and the justice of the downfall of Oedipus, and, finding no satisfactory solution for these intellectual difficulties, loses half the pleasure that the drama was intended to produce . In dramatizing stories, there will dependably blends of passionate sentiments, suspense, and fervor to discover what’s

Oedipus is an everyman figure because of his fatal flaw that being his pride. This play explores the fact that no human is even close to being perfect.

During the transition from the beginning to the end of his rule the hubris, or the excessive amount of pride in one’s character, expressed by Oedipus has transformed into what may be- ironically- identified as a god complex. The expression of admiration from Theban citizens towards Oedipus in recognition for being the king and hero of Thebes has inflated Oedipus’ self-worth to the point where it is not pride, but arrogance. “Here I am myself- you all known me, the world knows my fame: I am Oedipus.” (7-9, Oedipus Rex) While his ego escalates from the relentless devotion of his citizens Oedipus establishes a god complex of his own design, no longer caring about the gods nor fate, instead believing that destiny and the future are under his own control rather than being something predetermined.“You pray to the gods? Let me grant your prayers.” (245, Oedipus Rex) “You can’t hurt me or anyone else who sees the light- you can never touch me.” (427-8, Oedipus Rex) Oedipus even displays his authority when he refers to the chorus as his children, donning the role of a patriarch who assumes power over those he perceives as inferior or unworthy. In spite of this, the honorable life Oedipus built for himself in Thebes shifts into one that is unrecognizable, as the truth

In the play Oedipus the King, Oedipus struggles to accept the truth and lets his temper over power him. He can be displayed as a tragic hero. His refusal to accept the truth led to Oedipus’ down fall. A tragic hero, as defined by Aristotle, “is a literary character who makes a judgment error that inevitably leads to his/her own destruction.” Sophocles’ Oedipus exemplifies Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero.

Sophocles’ tragedy Oedipus Rex exemplifies the psychological conflicts that arise as an individual undergoes a drastic realization of character, ultimately leading him on a search to recover his true identity, and along the way bringing to light the darkest demons of his past. The play unfolds through a calamitous tone, which foreshadows the impending downfall of the ruler of Thebes, Oedipus, and the consequences that this downfall will bring to him and all of those around him. The calamitous tone deepens through the regal imagery of the play, in which the main character, Oedipus, lives his life along the ideals of a king, thus fraying his once trustworthy vision by his constant need for control and power. The calamitous tone and regal imagery conjure up a restive mood, which belies melodramatic atmosphere of the play as a whole. As a modern audience we experience the dramatic irony that a play like this brings forward, and we struggle to watch these tragic events unfold before us.

Thesis: In Sophocles’ “Oedipus”, Oedipus is exemplified as a tragic hero according to Aristotle’s definition because his story appeals to the reader’s humanity in the way he maintains his strengths after inadvertently causing his own downfall.