Oedipus the King Essay

Tragic fates and the downfalls of others have always seemed to interest a crowd. Audiences will travel from afar and pay to witness such performances. They listen and sit at the edge of their seats wondering when and how the catastrophe will occur in the protagonist’s doomed life. The reason for this is because almost all of the spectators can relate to the protagonist due to the fact that the protagonists of these tragedies are tragic heroes. These tragic heroes have qualities that render them both tragic and heroic, and they display five key characteristics according to Aristotle’s definition. The criteria of a tragic hero is that they must suffer throughout the play, have a tragic flaw, eventually recognize their tragic flaw and take responsibility for their actions, be neither completely good nor completely bad, and arouse pity and fear in the audience. These traits allow the people in the audience to relate to the tragic hero because no one is completely good, no one is completely bad, many have felt suffering, fear having a tragic flaw of their own, and long to recognize their own tragic flaw and take responsibility for their actions. This reliability has helped tragedies, specifically Greek tragedies, become some of the most influential pieces in theatre and literature. In the play Oedipus the King, the protagonist Oedipus is an excellent example of a tragic hero.

Ancient Greece is a very unique and foreign place to us today but surprisingly the ancient Greeks liked theatrics as much as we do now. This love for the stage led to many great plays being written one of which was “Oedipus the King”. “Oedipus the King” written by Sophocles in 430 BC is a Greek tragedy that shows the tragic downfall of Oedipus the king of Thebes. In this play Oedipus finds out that the prophecy that he had fled from so long ago had come true as he married his mother and murdered his father. “Oedipus the King” is a brilliant allegory for man's unwinnable struggle against fate and the puzzling actions of the indifferent gods.

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.

In Sophocles's play Oedipus Rex, Oedipus is what is known in a tragedy as the tragic hero. Oedipus is the tragic hero because his fate goes from having the fortune to ending up in misfortune. Usually, the tragic hero is given a "tragic flaw" that sets the character up for his own downfall. The tragic flaw is intentionally an excessive positive trait causes the character fortune to turn to misfortune. In these Greek tragedies, fate plays another role in the outcome of the characters. The Gods trust that in the path they give a person, it would play out as it should. The fate the Gods choose to give them can also add to the character's downfall. In Oedipus Rex, the tragic result of Oedipus's down fall is the fault of fate and Oedipus's decisions because of the God's Prophecy, Oedipus's tragic flaw, and his parents' dishonesty.

Sophocles’ tragic heroes are those of noble birth with heroic potential, but this character is fated by the Gods to doom and destruction through great suffering. With their prophecy, the tragic hero typically fights against the fate, which creates suffering and through this suffering, the hero learns about their true self and place in the universe. Throughout the drama of Oedipus the King, Sophocles retells the downfall of the Theban king and questions his guilt and innocence. The tragedy is typically read as the unraveling of Oedipus’s true origins through his transition from ignorance to knowledge and the change in his moral standing from innocent to guilt as the plot proceeds. However, Sophocles gives multiple instances were Oedipus could be seen as guilty or innocent based on his ignorance or pride.

The tragedy of Oedipus Rex exemplifies the corruption of the higher classes and the differing values of the Athenian society. The play represents the enduring themes of the flawed nature of humanity as well as the limits of free will. Oedipus, the new king sought to prevent the disturbing prophecy from occurring, in the processes accidently fulfilling the inevitable; murdering his father and marrying his mother. Through the twisting plot of the play emerged with themes that defined the era, the beliefs and ideas of the Athenians are shown in the ideas of corruption, knowledge, and fate.

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.

Blindness is the downfall of the hero Oedipus in the play “King Oedipus” by Sophocles. Not only does the blindness appear physically, but also egotistically as he refuses to acknowledge

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.

Audiences connect more with a hero that goes through hardship, especially when the audience know the outcome of said hero. This is enthralling for many, and this was amplified in the Greek theatre, where the Chorus helped bridge the fourth wall. Dramatic irony is arguably the best plot device used in King Oedipus and is what separates it from the others. Where we, as viewers, know the outcome, Oedipus merely knows the prophecy, not the “process” nor the final outcome of his life. The fact that he knew his fate but pushed on, no matter how bitter shows his greatness and agrees with the essay statement: “Strength to pursue the truth at any whatever personal cost…”. In another example, at the very beginning while Oedipus was the young prince of Corinth, he heard of his own prophecy. He then decided to leave his adopted parents to protect them, unknowingly helping to seal his own fate . He knew his prophecy but didn’t know how it will carry out and end. Sophocles employs dramatic irony with masterful skill, sealing an audience’s

As the play proceeds, Oedipus goes from being a well respected and prosperous king to finding himself in a tragic situation which according to Aristotle is the circumstance which brings the hero’s tragic flaw into play. The audience feels pity for this character because he has been blind to what was in front of him. Although Teiresais told him “But

exercising his free choice by making bad decisions . Oedipus certainly meets these portrayals of a tragic hero. The dialect of tragedy consists of two circles: one is a relative point and the other is impacted and the effect on its audience. Sophocles and Aristotle’s achieve that task with absolute clearness. The modern reader, coming to the classic drama not entirely to the enjoyment, will not always surrender himself to the emotional effect. He is apt to worry about Greek ‘fatalism’ and the justice of the downfall of Oedipus, and, finding no satisfactory solution for these intellectual difficulties, loses half the pleasure that the drama was intended to produce . In dramatizing stories, there will dependably blends of passionate sentiments, suspense, and fervor to discover what’s

Throughout history there have been many diverse works of true literary brilliance. Many of these scholarly texts have withstood the test of time and have been evaluated and critiqued over the centuries. One such example is the tragedies that originated from Ancient Greece. Greek historians have preserved the manuscripts of numerous and now famous tragedies, which have been taught for generations in English classes around the world. Through the tragedies, the readers or observers learn from the emotions evoked by the story being told. In feeling these emotions and witnessing the plight of the protagonists, the audience will gain knowledge from personifying these plights and reflecting into themselves. The tragedy of Oedipus exemplifies

In the play Oedipus the King by Sophocles, the main character, Oedipus is given the task to stop a plague that is taking over the city of Thebes. At the time, Oedipus was not aware that this task would reveal many secrets, many of which would leave without anything or anyone. In the article “Aristotle’s Ideas About Tragedy” he explains all the necessary components for a tragedy. This play has many of the characteristics that Aristotle thought categorized a story or play as a tragedy. Oedipus’ tragic hero-like characteristics led him to his downfall. Due to his terrible mistake, ignorance about his past, and tragic flaw, Oedipus fulfills all the characteristics of a tragic hero.

For many centuries, the tragedy continues to be perceived as the most heartwarming arrangement of drama because it incorporates the capability of transporting the spectator into the drama as well as allowing them to apprehend the characters, particularly the tragic hero. The tragedy was shaped by the Greek philosopher, Aristotle, in a book called, The Poetics. It was composed fifty years after the death of Sophocles. Sophocles is the writer of the tragedy, Oedipus the King. Aristotle was a great admirer of Oedipus the King, considering it is the perfect tragedy. Not surprisingly, Aristotle’s analysis of tragedy in The Poetics fits