Oedipus Downfall

Oedipus, the model Greek hero in Oedipus the King, was the protagonist that saved Thebes from the curse of the sphinx. Accomplishing this task gave him favor in the people's eyes and absolute power as the king of Thebes. This power did not last long and in time, this led to his downfall because of his hubris. He was prideful, steadfast in his strength over Thebes and the foreboding prophecy the Oracle had warned him about. After becoming the king of Thebes, he values power over family and

From a prideful, heroic king at the beginning of the play, to a tyrant in denial towards the middle, and finally to a fearful, condemned man, humbled by his tragic fate, Oedipus’ change personifies that which makes an unforgettable drama. When Oedipus is first introduced, he appears to be a confident, valiant hero and reasonably so. Taking into mind the background of the drama, we learn that this foreigner to Thebes arrives at the city limits, braves death, solves the Sphinx’s riddle and releases the city from the horrible terror. Only a man like Oedipus, a man possessing tremendous intelligence and self-confidence could have such courage. Although at times Oedipus questions the gods’ accuracy and authority, the people don’t mind because of the great deed he had done.

The task of tragedy is to bring ‘Catharsis’ to all its spectators, the belief of witnessing a spectacle consisting of tragic themes, is to provide the spectators a feeling of being cleansed and renewed which purges the spectators’ emotions. However, the idea was to strike pity and fear to all who go to see it. Tragedy is commonly defined as a play involving a main character who is born of royal blood with good intentions, the mistakes they commit leads to their downfall. However, what makes Oedipus The King a highly-regarded piece of Greek Theatre is due to Oedipus not realising that he has already fulfilled his fate by committing the deeds that were

Oedipus wishes for the best in for his subjects and for them to not be in misery, as later the reader learns from Oedipus, “I sent Creon/… to learn/ what I might do or say to save our city.” (lines 81-84) This displays Oedipus as a decent man and king worthy of ruling Thebes because he is compassionate and accountable for what happens in his kingdom. Next, the reader learns of Oedipus’s courage when the priest that Oedipus is talking to states, “You freed us from the Sphinx, you came to Thebes/ and cut us loose from the bloody tribute we had paid/ that harsh, brutal singer.” (lines 44-46)

The character Oedipus in Oedipus The King by Sophocles is a prideful, headstrong man weakened by his hamartia- tragic flaw. Oedipus believes that his intelligence and strength are superior to all. However, the gods must let him reach his zenith before they strip him of these arrogant beliefs along with everything else he values.

Oedipus’ stubbornness led to his downfall because he thought he was always correct and didn’t like listening to others. He was a static character because he was overconfident and refused to believe anyone’s opinion above his own . By not listening to anyone when the truth came out, he was hurt emotionally and physically. Oedipus was a man of power and wealth who suddenly falls.

Imagine you were told that you killed your own father, and married and had children with your mother; the thought of that is just sickening, but this catastrophe is exactly what happened to Oedipus in “Oedipus the King”. This Greek tragedy shows how unfavorable irony can be, and how it can lead to your own demise. Oedipus has one tragic flaw that leads to his ultimate downfall, and it is his reckless anger. His anger causes his downfall by leading him to kill his father, which leads to the other events that occur in the story. His anger also causes his downfall because it led to his prophecy to come true; the one that his parents wanted to avoid in the first place.

Oedipus: Proud, Productive, and Perfunctory In the Greek tragedy Oedipus the King by playwright Sophocles, the protagonist Oedipus struggles to find out his true identity. He is the king of Thebes, a city that has been burdened with a deadly plague. In order to find out why this plague is occuring and save his city, he must discover all of the details about his life and about who he really is. His characteristics change and become stronger throughout the play because of major plot events such as suicide and a mysterious murder.

In the story Oedipus The King (Dramatic Tragedy), Oedipus The King plays a role that will ultimately determine his own fate in the end of the book. In the story we see many factors that play a role in Oedipus’s fate, and we see there are many factors that lead to Oedipus’s tragic downfall. In a book a character can be influenced by others and what others have done in the past, but ultimately the decisions is in the characters hands and is based off their personality which results in their fate. In the beginning of the story we can see that Oedipus’s character is displayed and it is first seen as heroic when he saves Thebes.

Oedipus’s bad temper lead to his downfall. He killed the King of Thebes who happened to be his father. Once he killed his father he went into Thebes and helped the people who lived there. He was determined to rid the plague that hindered those of Thebes. Oedipus promised to find the killer of the king and the killer would be exiled or killed.

As Aristotle has posed, tragedy is formulaic and imitative, composed of distinct parts that inspire pity or fear which ultimately culminate into a depressingly satisfying ending. Sophocles’ play Oedipus the King in particular, incorporates Aristotelian characteristics as detailed in the Poetics. Through its manner, the play presents a singular yet complex plot and, an imperfect main character dealing with the consequences of his actions. Given the various rules to tragic aspects, Oedipus the King embodies the elements of a perfect tragedy holistically.

When Aristotle argues that tragic “is brought about not by vice or depravity” you can’t help but to think about Oedipus and his character. His impatience, his displeasure at just everything and anything, and for a minute you question whether he was a good person or someone who was completely driven by anger. But then all of those

Sophocles’ tragedy Oedipus Rex details the catastrophic downfall of Oedipus, King of Thebes, who kills his father, marries his mother, and plagues his kingdom unknowingly. Aristotle’s discourse Poetics references Oedipus Rex as containing several elements of the ideal tragedy (CITE). Among other factors, Aristotle stresses that the tragic hero’s collapse does not occur in response to his or her depravity, but in reaction to a “serious error” (CITE). Throughout the play, Oedipus demonstrates to readers “vice or depravity” did not incite his actions (cite). Rather, he is an ethical man who makes fatal mistakes. Oedipus Rex is not a corrupt villain, but an impulsive man who lacks the knowledge to understand the implications of his actions. Oedipus

In the play, we learnt that King Oedipus could not escape his destiny, no matter how much effort the other parties tried to prevent the tragedy from happening. King Oedipus tried to uncover the truth regardless of the consequences that he might be facing. During the process of investigation, Oedipus believed that he was innocent. Teiresias was trying frame him because Creon’s instigation. However, the truth was exposed when Oedipus came into contact with more information and secrets. In the end, Oedipus cast judgment upon himself.

Oedipus the King, by Sophocles is about Oedipus, a man doomed by his fate. Like most tragedies, Oedipus the King contains a tragic hero, a heroic figure unable to escape his own doom. This tragic hero usually has a hamartia, a tragic flaw, which causes his downfall. The tragic flaw that Sophocles gives Oedipus is hubris (exaggerated pride or self-confidence), which is what caused Oedipus to walk right into the fate he sought to escape. Oedipus' pride pushes him toward his tragic end in the initial journey, when he kills his father, in the episode of the sphinx, and in his adamant search for truth.