Oedipus Rex : A Tragic Hero

In literature, tragic heroes are described as otherwise perfect protagonists except for a tragic flaw that leads to their downfall in the end. Such examples include Othello in Shakespeare's Othello; Prince Hamlet is a tragic hero in Shakespeare’s Hamlet; the Salvatore brothers from The Vampire Diaries are both tragic heroes; and Oedipus in Sophocles' play Oedipus Rex is a tragic hero. Oedipus is the tragic hero who, mixing fate, pride, and lack of judgement, bring about tragedy to him and others. Oedipus Rex is a Greek drama about moral responsibility, nature of innocence and guilt. The protagonist, Oedipus, is a young Sheppard in Corinth, who fulfills the very destiny he was attempting to flee from.

"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.

It is a common human flaw to only see things that are pleasing and choose to ignore distasteful situations. Falling into this trap, Oedipus, the King of Thebes in Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex, finds his doom by choosing to turn a blind eye to reality. The king falls from his throne by choosing to live in an illusion and failing to recognize the power of fate.

Oedipus, the main character of Sophocles’ play, Oedipus Rex, has a tragic flaw that leads to his downfall. A tragic flaw is defined as “an otherwise good trait that turns destructive when taken to an extreme” (Stary). In a tragedy one can see the suffering of the main character, which is evident in Oedipus’ case. Oedipus’ tragic flaw is his determination, when he intensely seeks to find Laios’ murderer, forces the unwilling blind prophet Teiresias to reveal the truth, and when he stopped at nothing to prevent the prophecy from becoming true.

Discuss whether or not a hero who is tragic by trait and definition can exist within the structure of the monomyth.

Through the play one can see that Oedipus’ flaw is hubris. His aggression and arrogance prevents him from making rational decisions and blinds him from seeing the truth. Oedipus refutes fate and consequently, when he is forced to see reality he destroys himself. The tragedy presents hubris as a fatal flaw of human nature and therefore warns against excessive pride. Sophocles also expresses the power the gods through Oedipus’ fight against fate. Through Oedipus’ demise the audience understands that man only has free will to an extent and in the end god’s plan with follow through. The play keeps an audience entertained through drama while simultaneously depicting a warning to humanity. Overall, Sophocles’ work is revered because of the effects his precise diction

In his play Oedipus the King, Sophocles uses the ancient Greek idea that the gods determine a person's destiny by giving them certain inherent characteristics. He does this by predisposing Oedipus with the tragic flaws of rage, stubbornness, and pride, which leads to his eventual downfall. By doing so, Sophocles evokes pity and fear from the audience, reminding them to avoid the tragic pitfalls of Oedipus, lest they end up in a similar doom. Sophocles gives Oedipus irrational rage, which causes him to make some questionable decisions throughout the play.

Even though Oedipus killed his father and married his mother, he is often portrayed as a Christ figure, sacrificing himself for the good of the people. The tragedy Oedipus Rex was written by Sophocles in the fifth century BC. Oedipus is a Christ figure because he put his life in danger to save the city from the Sphinx, displayed his deep concern for the health of his people, and sacrificed himself to save Thebes from the plague.

Sophocles's Oedipus Rex is probably the most famous tragedy ever written. Sophocles's tragedy represents a monumental theatrical and interpretative challenge. Oedipus Rex is the story of a King of Thebes upon whom a hereditary curse is placed and who therefore has to suffer the tragic consequences of fate (tragic flaws or hamartia). In the play, Oedipus is the tragic hero. Even though fate victimizes Oedipus, he is a tragic figure since his own heroic qualities, his loyalty to Thebes, and his fidelity to the truth ruin him.

In antiquated Greek drama, tragedy plays had a way of appealing to the audience effortlessly. Greek tragedies are still performed and read across the world in modern-day. Oedipus Rex, a standout amongst the popular tragedies, is written by Sophocles. Within every tragedy play, one character takes the role of a grievous or tragic hero. As stated by Aristotle, certain attributes characterize a deplorable legend or a tragic hero. In Oedipus Rex, the fundamental character, Oedipus, carries imperfections as well as inevitable fate much like a tragic hero.

   Sophocles is perhaps one of the greatest tragedians ever. Sophocles said that a man should never consider himself fortunate unless he can look back on his life and remember that life without pain. For Oedipus Rex, looking back is impossible to do without pain. This pain stems from his prideful life. Oedipus is aware that he alone is responsible for his actions. Oedipus freely chooses to pursue and accept his own life's destruction. Even though fate victimizes Oedipus, he is a tragic figure since his own heroic qualities, his loyalty to Thebes, and his fidelity to the truth ruin him.

Drama has been around since the dawn on mankind. It developed from stories that were passed around. Aristotle described was the first to describe a tragic hero. A tragic hero must have five key characteristics. They must be of noble birth, be imperfect, have a mortal flaw, go through a complete downfall, and realize that their misfortune is their fault. According to Aristotle, Oedipus is the epitome of a tragic hero.

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, “is a literary character who makes a judgment error that inevitably leads to his/her own destruction.” Based off this definition, Sophocles’ Oedipus clearly exemplifies Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero.

Contrary to the foreboding future that Apollo laid out for him, Oedipus Rex never meant harm or unwell in his intentions. He lived a doomed life, no matter what Oedipus did misfortune would follow him around similar to how a faithful dog follows its owner. In the end Oedipus never really exhibited the Oedipal Complex that was crowned in his likeness, as he was never aware of the situation that he was in with his parents. However, everyone involved did contribute in assembling the destructive end of Oedipus in a spectacular showing of the human condition and disregard for Ikea instructions.

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.