Oedipus Hamartia

Within the play Oedipus Rex the main character Oedipus faces many life changing obstacles. Even though the new king of Thebes is facing so many problems the man still believes that he knows everything, especially everything about himself. Inscribed above the entrance to the temple at Delphi are the words: “Know Thyself”, which is something that Oedipus must do in order to help his people. Throughout the whole play the character Oedipus is shown as a classic example of a man whose central problem is that he does not know himself.

Tragic plays back in Ancient Greece were very popular. Aristotle argued that tragedy cleansed the heart through pity and terror, purging individuals of their petty concerns and worries by making them aware that there can be nobility in suffering. He called this experience 'catharsis'. Oedipus Rex has so much irony, ignorance and fate plays a big role; combine all those elements and one has a recipe for a tragedy. The play, Oedipus the King, was an importance to the society of ancient Greece beyond just being entertainment for the people who saw it because Oedipus was indeed a tragic hero. Aristotle has cited that the Oedipus trilogy is a great example of Greek tragedy, noting the tragic scenes, choral odes, and simple poetry. Aristotle has

The use of hamartia is a key component to a tragedy in Greek times. In the festival of Dionysus, the use of hamartia played a key role in the production of tragic plays that enhances the audience experience in establishing morals and ideals in many different ways. Sophocles’ Oedipus the King is a key example of this, a play about the unfortunate destiny bestowed upon Oedipus. During the play, Oedipus attempts to flee from his destiny that he will marry his mother and kill his father. The dramatic irony where Oedipus tries to doubt the gods is imprudent and foolish, and his hamartia further led him to his tragic downfall. Throughout this tragedy, the use of hamartia is used to justify the catastrophic events that happened to Oedipus and his

Oedipus The King is a tragedy written by Sophocles that emphasises the conflict of human knowledge versus divine knowledge using irony. Human knowledge is limited and very short-sighted, while divine knowledge has no restrictions meaning a person with divine knowledge has a clear idea of the “big picture”. Sophocles uses irony to emphasise the difference in knowledge. Oedipus is the son of Laius, and when the Oracles of Delphi prophesies that Laius will be killed by the hands of his son, Laius leaves the baby (Oedipus) on top of a mountain to die. Oedipus gets rescued and grows up in Corinth, raised by King Polybus as if he were his own son. Still thinking Polybus is his father, Oedipus leaves Corinth when he finds out that he is destined to

Sophocles’ tragedy, Oedipus the King, stresses the idea of who is blind and who can see by demonstrating that one cannot simply just run away from their mistakes and issues. As the story unfolds, each character makes several attempts to hide from the truth. Though the foul truths may seem to be masked within the darkness, they are eventually brought into the light, shining over the devious lies placed before it. Nevertheless, the real question lies within whether or not the person receiving the truth can endure it. By coping with the truth, one sees, but by denying it, one stays blind. One way or another, however, problems arise, secrets come out, and chaos ensues because one cannot stay blinded from the truth forever.

In Aristotle's work, the tragic hero can get caught up by hamartia which ends up leading him to his downfall. In Oedipus the King, which is a tragic play that is written by Sophocles it shows King Oedipus having many different flaws that are under the protection of hamartia that

“Now my curse on the murderer. Whoever he is, a lone man unknown in his crime - or one among many, let that man drag out his life in agony, step by painful step - I curse myself as well … if by any chance He proves to be an intimate of our house, Here at my hearth, with my full knowledge, May the curse I just called down on him strike me!”(p. 1137). Oedipus’s intense pride or hubris, and his steadfast determination to uncover the mystery of Laius’s murder ironically leads him to unwittingly curse himself.

Oedipus and His Tragic Traits In Sophocles play Oedipus the King, Sophocles depicts the horrible fate of Oedipus, a pompous, arrogant young ruler. The story begins in the Greek town of Thebes. A plague has descended upon the Thebians causing death and famine throughout the land. Oedipus, being the heroic king, takes full responsibility to find out the cause of their aliments. While working to discover the source of the plague, Oedipus stumbles upon the tragic truth of his heritage and the horrifying implications of his appointment to the throne. Unfortunately for Oedipus, everything ends in tragedy. With the suicide of his mother/wife and the self-inflicted blindness followed by exile from Thebes, Oedipus paved the path to his own

The play, Oedipus the King by Sophocles presents a grim hamartia caused from a terrible deed of long ago. Oedipus the protagonist is the powerful King of Thebes and held of high estate by the people of Thebes. As the terrible deed of Oedipus’s becomes apparent to both Oedipus and the City of Thebes his tragic flaw is slowly realized. The play will show “tragic power resides in human failing, hamartia, constantly underpinning any sense of the inevitable” (Walton). The play will show the author’s view of a tragic hero as seen in the play Oedipus the King does exemplifies Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero.

Plato’s third stage of awareness, Reason, is also reflected with Oedipus. Plato states that if one is within the third stage of awareness, that “he will see him in his own proper place, not in another.” (Plato 4) This idea says that if one enters the third stage of awareness, he understands who he is by new hypotheses. This applies to Oedipus when he says, “O God! I think I have just called down on myself a dreadful curse. . . not knowing what I did.” (Oedipus 43) Oedipus thinks about the new hypothesis that he made and it now feels more like reality. This is also revealing when he says, “I am dreadfully afraid the blind prophet can see. But tell me one more thing that will throw light on this. Was Laius poorly attended, or did he have a big bodyguard, like a king?” (44) Oedipus asks many new questions regarding his life with this situation, not knowing that his fate is already sealed.

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/her own doom. This tragic hero usually has a hamartia or a tragic flaw which causes his/hers’ 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.

One of the defining qualities of Greek tragedies is hamartia, or the protagonist’s tragic flaw. This flaw or weakness drives the plot forward, and can led to the demise of even the noblest of heroes. In “Oedipus the King” written by Sophocles, the protagonist, Oedipus was plagued with excessive pride and a short temper. Oedipus’ arrogance prevented him from seeing the truth, and ultimately led to the fulfillment of the prophecy he sought to prevent.

King Oedipus, was a flawed leader with many issues due to his past which plagued his city and his life. To save his people and free himself, he needed to go back to the very beginning to learn the cause of this curse to correct the future. On this journey, new information was revealed to Oedipus about his life which he would try to repress each time he learned something new until he couldn’t hide it any longer by blinding himself; therefore, consumed by his knowledge. Hence, he confronted his destiny which predicted that he would kill his father Laius and marry his mother Jocasta (Sophocles, p. 34). A tragic hero would describe his upbringing. With unfortunate circumstances birthing his future, he fought the gruesome fight to the ignorant

Lorne Coughlin Literary Genres: Drama and Essay September 20, 2007 The tragedy of Oedipus Sophocles is one of the best and most well-known ancient Greek tragedians. He influenced the development of drama especially by adding a third character and thereby reducing the importance of the chorus in the presentation of the plot. Even though

“Aristotle’s Concept of Tragedy/The Tragic Hero and Drama” Essay I. Introduction Sophocles’ Oedipus is a dramatic play that deals with tragedy and comedy. Tragedy can awaken humans to the place of grasping hope and growth; Aristotle’s and Sophocles’ display an all-inclusive story of the tragedy of fate. Sophocles’ tragedy is