Question:
Discuss whether or not a hero who is tragic by trait and definition can exist within the structure of the monomyth.
Quote Bank
“untroubled influence” (Fitzgerald, 31)
“can not lift her head from the death surge” (Fitzgerald, 4)
“what defilement?” (Fitzgerald, 7)
“how shall [they] rid [themselves] of it?” (Fitzgerald, 7)
“no help in the truth” (Fitzgerald, 17)
“the net God has been weaving for him” (Fitzgerald, 39)
Response
By definition, a tragic hero is a character who is unavoidably doomed. That hero’s fate has already been decided but the character usually spends the entire course of a story trying tirelessly and unsuccessfully to change that. Oedipus easily falls into this definition. Oedipus is also a hero that
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In the Heroic Journey, the hero is someone who is missing or lacking something. For Oedipus, this would be the health in Thebes. Thebes “can not lift her head from the death surge” of the plague and it is Oedipus’ ultimate goal, as king, to end the plague and keep his citizens safe. (Fitzgerald, 4) This would be the “grail” in Oedipus’ story, as well as the truth about his past and the murder of king Laїos. The first phase of the Hero’s Journey is “Separation from the Known” and this begins with “The Call”. The call invites the hero into the adventure, which in Oedipus’ case would be Creon bringing back the prophecy from Delphi. Instantly, Oedipus questions “what defilement?” and “how shall [they] rid [themselves] of it?” and that is the point where he willingly accepts his journey. (Fitzgerald, 7) Creon acts as the herald, initiating the call when he brings the news from the gods. The second step in phase one is “The Threshold”. The accusation of Oedipus as the murderer of king Laїos acts as the threshold because Oedipus enters into his real quest to discover the truth about the murderer. Teirisias acts as the threshold guardian because he knows that Oedipus killed Laїos but because there is “no help in the truth” he refuses to give Oedipus this information. (Fitzgerald, 17) Phase two of the hero’s journey is “Initiation and Transformation” and this includes “The Challenges”, “The
Heroes, as shown in literature, often undertake the most difficult tasks and place themselves in mortal danger in order to bring back, for themselves and their societies, both knowledge and treasure. Their stories follow “Hero Journey.” The Odyssey, as the epic story of the hero Odysseus, follows closely the complete cycle of a Hero Journey, both as a physical and as a psychological undertaking. The Hero Journey, used as a framework for both Odysseus’ physical and mental journeys, serves to bind the two together. Each of Odysseus’s physical difficulties can be viewed as a metaphor for a psychological hardship that he must overcome, and by overcoming these hardships, Odysseus matures—achieving a more complete understanding of himself and
As defined by Aristotle a tragic hero is a literary character who makes a judgment error that inevitably leads to their own destruction. They are born into nobility and have a fate of their own. One also looks at the background information that influences the character to be a tragic hero. In order to be a tragic character a character has to have certain characteristics. In the novel Antigone, the character Antigone meets all these characteristics making her a tragic character.
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.
Along For the Ride As Alexander Alvarez once said, “What consumes your mind, controls your life”. A perfect example of this quote is the book Oedipus the King by Sophocles, where one does not have control over their own life because other people have a great impact on your life. Also, you are not always in control of your circumstances and your temperament plays a significant role in what choices you make. Oedipus and his biological parents are both at fault in this story. Oedipus could have had a more appropriate temperament.
Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero is someone of great importance or royalty. The hero must go through something terrible such as a relative’s death. We must feel what this character is feeling throughout the story. Aristotle also said that a tragic hero scan be defeated by a tragic flaw, such as hubris or human pride. In Sophocles’ tragedy Antigone, both Creon and Antigone are tragic heroes.
A tragic hero is defined as a literary character of high nobility who makes a personal judgement error that often leads to their own fate. A tragic hero dominates a tragic flaw, a characters weakness such as excessive pride, aspiration, or jealousy. In literary cases, a tragic hero is neither benevolent nor immortal but has vigorous intentions. Ordinarily a tragic hero is of high royal birth, possesses a tragic flaw, has a downfall due to that flaw, and recognizes their error by accepting the consequences. In Antigone by Sophocles Antigone is a tragic hero, one who is from high noble birth, with grand intentions, and in possession of a tragic flaw.
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.
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.
Throught Oedipus Rex, Oedipus displays his heroism many times. From the Prologue of the play to the moment in which he leaves Thebes, Oedipus' heroics are extremely apparent; however, at the same time, the decisions which make Oedipus a hero ultimately become the decisions which bring him to shame and exile.
Oedipus, the tragic hero of Oedipus Rex, written by the ancient Greek playwright Sophocles, is inarguably a tragic hero. In fact, Oedipus was the model which Aristotle used to define tragic heroes. Oedipus’ story certainly is tragic. After going on a manhunt to find the murderer of his subjects’ former king, Oedipus eventually comes to the horrific realization (Spoiler Alert) that he is the murderer, the murdered king he replaced was his father, and he has by now had several children with the queen, his mother. Oedipus is far from a
Prompt 1: Write an essay explaining how Sophocles’ Oedipus exemplifies or refutes Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero.
A tragic hero, as defined by Aristotle, is a man who is great but also terribly flawed, who experiences misfortunes while still remaining admirable to the audience at the end of the play. One of Aristotle’s favorite works, Oedipus the King, a play by Sophocles, is a play that above all others, defines the meaning of what a true tragic hero really is. In the play, Oedipus the King, the story unfolds after Oedipus unintentionally kills his own father and goes on to marry his mother. The events of the play are tragic, but it is the way that Oedipus handles the tragedies that make him a tragic hero.
The play “Oedipus Rex” recounts about the King of Thebes who was destined by prophecy to murder his father and wed his mother. Regardless of his attempts to evade his fate, he inadvertently fulfills it, which unavoidably led to his demise. Prior to the start of the play, the reader learns Oedipus ascended to the throne of Thebes after unraveling the enigma of the Sphinx. While under the jurisdiction of Oedipus, the Theban city was struck with a plague, respectively due to the death of the former king. Oedipus is considered a tragic hero because he meets all five criteria designed by Aristotle: the hamartia, peripeteia, anagnorisis, hubris, and acquiring a fate that is greater than deserved.
Aristotle’s tragic hero is one of the most recognizable types of heroes among literature. A tragic hero combines five major points all of which have to do with the hero’s stature in society, his faults, how these faults effect him, the punishment his faults gets him, and how he reacts to this punishment. Aristotle explained that the story of Oedipus the King, written by Sophocles, is a perfect example of a tragic hero. In the play, Oedipus is given a prophecy in which he is told that he will kill his father then marry his mother. As in many Greek plays, Oedipus tries to run from his prophecy and ends up fulfilling exactly what it is foretold. Through the play we see that Oedipus posses many of the characteristics
Considering Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero, it can be found that Oedipus fits the character description flawlessly through various traits that he displays and the foundation of his tragic fall: