Oedipus As A Tragic Hero

A tragic hero is a person who has qualities of a hero such as intelligence and strength but makes choices that lead to their self-destruction. The tragic hero is usually from a noble family or high position. Oedipus from The Sophocles is a tragic hero because he possesses tragic flaws such as hubris, hamartia, and too much curiosity. Marcus Brutus, a Roman politician, also serves to be a tragic hero since he is too naive, honest, and sometimes impulsive. Both Oedipus and Brutus have certain characteristics that determine them to be a tragic hero.

According to Aristotle, “A tragic hero is a character who is not eminently good and just, yet whose misfortune is brought about not by vice and depravity, but by some error or frailty…” The classic tragic hero has some type of tragic character flaw which creates an inner struggle, leads to his making a serious error in judgment, and leads to his eventual downfall and death.

A tragic hero is a literary character who makes a judgement error that inevitably leads to his destruction. Typically not an ordinary man, but is a man with outstanding quality and greatness about himself. His own destruction is is for a greater cause or principle. John Proctor is the perfect example of a tragic hero; his downfall was self inflicted because he thought keeping his name is more important than staying alive.

What is a tragic hero? According to Aristotle a tragic hero is a literary character who makes a judgement error that inevitably leads to his or her own destruction. Characteristics include: having discovered their fate through their own actions and not by destiny, a fatal flaw (usually pride), and being faced with a very serious decision. Using Aristotle’s description of a tragic hero, Brutus, in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, is a tragic hero. His demise is caused by not one, not two, but three catastrophic mistakes.

A Tragic hero is a character who makes a judgement error that ultimately determines his or her own downfall. Romeo Montague from William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is a perfect example of a tragic hero. His decisions and actions cause self-inflicted suffering, as well as bring harm to other characters in the process. His decisions not only have consequences that lead to his downfall, but they also lead to other characters’ downfalls. Being a tragic hero, Romeo was strong in his beliefs and took care of those he loved.

A tragic hero in literature is a type of character who has fallen from grace, where the downfall suggests feelings of misfortune and distress among the audience. The tragic flaw of the hero leads to their demise or downfall that in turn brings a tragic end. Aristotle defines a tragic hero as “a person who must evoke a sense of pity and fear in the audience. He is considered a man of misfortune that comes to him through error of judgment.” The characteristics of a tragic hero described by Aristotle are hamartia, hubris, peripeteia, anagnorisis, nemesis and catharsis which allows the audience to have a catharsis of arousing feelings.

Oedipus Rex, or Oedipus the King is Sophocles’s first play of “The Theban Cycle.” It tells the story of a king that tries to escape his fate, but by doing so he only brings about his downfall. Oedipus is a classic example of the Aristotelian definition of a tragic hero. Aristotle defines a tragic hero as a basically good and noble person who causes his own downfall due to a flaw in his character.

he ancient philosopher, Aristotle, describes a tragic hero as someone whose error in judgement leads them to their own downfall. Often it is a flaw in his character that will hinder him from proper judgement. In William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Caesar's unrestrained pride had caused him to disregard multiple forewarnings about his future, which led him to his own death. Caesar’s death could have been avoided long before he stepped into the senate house, though from the beginning Shakespeare plants a fault in Caesar.

Aristotle is a greek Philosopher, he created a list that all tragic hero have in common .A tragic hero is a literary character who makes a judgment error that inevitably leads to his/her own destruction. According to Aristotle's definition of a tragic hero, a tragic hero must have 5 rule to be a true tragic hero. First rule is that the tragic hero Usually have noble birth or wisdom. Second , Hamartia – a.k.a. the tragic flaw that eventually leads to his downfall. Third , Peripeteia – a reversal of fortune brought about by the hero’s tragic flaw. Fourth is Anagnorisis - his actions result in an increase of self- awareness and self-knowledge and the last rule is Catharsis - the audience must feel pity and fear for this character. In modern time the new tragic tragic hero is that the hero does not necessarily have to be of noble stature but can be an "ordinary person", the hero is growing from low position to higher position . And the hero doesn’t die to end the story but complete their quest to end the story.

Was Oedipus a tragic hero? A tragic hero is a character or person with an unchangeable flaw or fate. Based on one’s reading of Oedipus, Oedipus is a tragic hero because he is neither good or bad, he is faced with a decision , and he is destined for a gre at fall.

In the Greek tragedy, Oedipus the King, Oedipus struggles to accept the truth and he lets his temper over power him. Throughout the tragedy, he displays all the necessary elements to be categorized as a tragic hero as defined by Aristotle. His refusal to accept the truth led to Oedipus’ downfall. A tragic hero, as defined by Aristotle, The term hero is derived from a Greek word that means a person who faces adversity, or demonstrates courage, in the face of danger. However, sometimes he faces downfall as well,” (Literary Devices Editors, 2013). Based off this definition, Sophocles’ Oedipus clearly exemplifies Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero.

“A tragic hero is a character of noble birth with heroic qualities. This character, as a result of his fatal flaw met his doom after substantial suffering. In the play, Oedipus Rex, written by Sophocles in 429 B.C., Oedipus is the tragic hero who is distinguished by the definition above. Oedipus Rex is a tragedy play and is set in Thebes. It describes a tale of a king with the inability to see the truth and this lack of sight ultimately causes him to suffer. Oedipus is a quintessential example of a tragic hero which can be seen through his characteristics, such as his start at noble height, his inability to acknowledge his own flaw, and through his own actions, brings his own doom.

The way Sophocles Oedipus exemplifies the definition of a tragic hero by Aristotle’s is broad. According to Sophocles Oedipus, the definition of Aristotle hero is viewed as someone of a high position who is of valuable qualities in terms of character and moral values. The person does not commit mistakes of his own. Aristotle’s defines tragedy as a very important act done as results of sympathy, and fear (Peter, 2005). Tragedy hero is also described as a person of nobility during birth that brings about certain flaws that would results to his failure. The situation is referred to as Harmatia. It is also indicated that true tragic hero also go through peripeteia. It is also revealed

Aristotle gives a detailed but laborious description of a tragic hero. “The kind of man who neither is distinguished for excellence and virtue, nor comes to grief on account of baseness and vice, but on account of some error; a man of great reputation and prosperity” (Aristotle, 2016, p. 885). He states that the protagonist must be of “high estate” or be from royal blood (Kennedy & Gioia, 2016, p. 858). Perhaps, one of the most important factors is that the protagonist is imperfect. His downfall is the outcome of his hamartia. Some translate hamartia to mean his flaw or weakness of character (Kennedy & Gioia, 2016). Next, the hero must come to a point where he reaches recognition or discovery which Aristotle calls anagnorisis (Kennedy & Gioia, 2016). Anagnorisis is the revelation of a fact unknown to the protagonist before. The next thing that must

There are many ways which one can describe or define a tragic hero. Nevertheless, Aristotle, a well-respected Greek philosopher, gave perhaps one of the simplest and most effective definitions of a tragic hero. Aristotle’s definition/characteristics of a tragic hero argue that the hero must be “a character of noble stature and has greatness.”Therefore, if one is to believe Aristotle and/or his definition of a tragic hero, Oedipus, in Oedipus the King, is a perfect example of a tragic hero because he fulfills not only the aforementioned trait but a few of the other characteristics set forth by Aristotle.