Oedipus the King, a Tragic Hero Essay

The definition of tragedy is great suffering, destruction, or distress like a disaster. The term is commonly used in our society but where did it come from. Aristotle, an ancient greek philosopher, laid the foundation for the definition of a tragedy that we still use today. His idea of tragedy is a character who makes a judgment error that inevitably lead to his or her own destruction. He called this a tragic hero. Aristotle's’ idea was based on five specific characteristics. The characteristics were hamartia, peripeteia, anagnorisis, hubris and lastly, the character’s fate must be greater than deserved. The book, Oedipus The King, written by Socrates, fits Aristotle’s idea perfectly. Oedipus is an ideal tragic hero because he goes through all the five specific characteristics throughout the book.

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

Thesis Statement: Oedipus is the embodiment of Aristotle’s characterization of a tragic hero through his ability to preserve his virtue and wisdom, despite his flaws and predicament.

The ancient Greeks were famous for their tragedies. These dramas functioned to “ask questions about the nature of man, his position in the universe, and the powers that govern his life” (“Greek” 1). Brereton (1968) stated that tragedies typically “involved a final and impressive disaster due to an unforeseen or unrealized failure involving people who command respect and sympathy. It often entails an ironical change of fortune and usually conveys a strong impression of waste. It is always accompanied by misery and emotional distress” (20). The play, Oedipus the King, by Sophocles definitely demonstrated the characteristics of an impressive disaster unforeseen by the protagonist that involved a character of

The Greeks were one of the most powerful empires of early civilizations with the well documented conquest, legends, gods, etc. One of their most significant things left of their empire, is their theatrical style, none bigger than Tragedy. The Greek Tragedy was their basis of Drama and is still studied today. Their view of the world and life could be personified in the plays and by the personages. It is the case in the play Oedipus Tyrannos. The play, written by Sophocles, represents the typical Greek view of the world with all the values that the Greeks wanted to show. This play is probably the best example to represent the typical tragic hero, in that case Oedipus. The dominant theme that Sophocles wanted to demonstrate in the play was

Oedipus is one of the most famous tragic heroes in drama history. His bizarre fate leads him to a tragic defeat that leaves the audience and reader feeling emotionally overwhelmed. According to Aristotle’s definition, Oedipus’ story makes him as a tragic hero. Oedipus is the personification of Aristotle’s characterization of a tragic hero through his ability to maintain and keep his virtue and wisdom, despite his shortcomings and situation in life. Aristotle’s observation of a tragic hero does not reveal the lack of morality or the evil of the character, based on an error in judgment. The tragedy and drama fit the Aristotelian characteristics of Oedipus.

Tragedies are created and written with this intention in mind, to create this sense of emotion in the audience (Reeves, 1952, p. 186). In fact, elements that are not related to fear and pity can actually hinder the effects of the tragedy (Reeves, 1952, p. 186). Oedipus makes the audience pity him as he ends up in the direst of circumstances that no sane person would ever want to deal with. The horror that Oedipus feels is conveyed in a way that the audience feels that same horror, and they feel the horror that his friends and Jocasta also feel (Will, 1958, p. 511). They relate it to their own life and how they would feel if that happened to them or someone close to them. This leads to recognition of the disgust and disappointment that Oedipus feels. The horror of Oedipus stabbing his own eyes repeatedly is also something that instills fear in the audience. Since his situation is based on tragic circumstances that he is ignorant to at the time, the tragedy is increased by the imagery of fate (Barstow, 1912, p. 4). He plays on this when he proclaims to his wife, “O God! Did I, then, in my ignorance,/Proclaim that awful curse against myself?” (Oedipus, antisrophe, line 744-745). Fate is a lingering force as this story unfolds, building up the fear in the reader that all of these circumstances are adding up in front of their eyes. Fate can also bring about a sense of innocence. For example, the shepherd that confirms Oedipus is Laius’ son states that he was “born for ruin” (Oedipus, antistrophe, line 1181). Since he is relatively innocent when making the mistakes, more sympathy is awarded for him (Mullens, 1938, p. 152). Sympathy is given when Oedipus exclaims, “O God! How hast thou crushed me!” (Oedipus, antistrophe 2, 1311). This makes the audience sympathize with the pain that he is going through. In addition, the sense of justice is something that sparks pity

As we journey through life, there are people we come across who remind us of the characters in the Oedipus Plays of Sophocles. There are heroes and there are tragic heroes in life. Heroes don’t think of themselves first but act quickly to help others in dangerous situations. Tragic hero are those who act before thinking about other consequence and the final outcome. Aristotle suggests that a hero of a tragedy must make one remember of the things he does to stir up trouble and bring strong feelings of memories of the past. “Oedipus is a tragic hero in the plays of Sophocles.” A tragic hero has self-confidence and pride and does not always see the truth in every situation. “Oedipus cannot be considered as a tragic hero.”

     The heart of the story unravels when Oedipus apparently begins to suffer a reversal of fortunes. At the beginning of the play, Oedipus is referred to by the priest as the “king of the land, [the city of Thebes’] greatest power” (16). Through all of Thebes he is thought of as a hero, a man who saved the city from the Sphinx and in his bravery has promised to find the killer of King Laius in order to save the city from doom and death. However, at the climax of the story Oedipus learns that he has been “cursed in [his] birth, cursed in marriage / and cursed in

Fate chose him to kill his dad, marry his mom, and discover it all in Oedipus Rex, Sophocles’ tragedy. Oedipus was so determined to save Thebes from the plague bestowed on them by Apollo. But little did he know that he was the source of it all. His constant reversal of fortune, neutrality, and suffering make him the perfect example of a classic Greek tragic hero.

Oedipus the King is an excellent example of Aristotle's theory of tragedy. The play has the perfect Aristotelian tragic plot consisting of paripeteia, anagnorisis and catastrophe; it has the perfect tragic character that suffers from happiness to misery due to hamartia (tragic flaw) and the play evokes pity and fear that produces the tragic effect, catharsis (a purging of emotion).

Picture yourself going from being the King of Thebes to a widowed, motherless man who is forced to exile and fend for himself without sight. This is what occurred in Sophocles’ play, Oedipus Rex. A tragedy is composed of six elements that determine the quality of each part. It starts off with a flaw that leads to a hero’s passing, the acknowledgement of these flaws, and lethal punishment of the tragic hero. The play, Oedipus Rex, is about a king who finds out that he killed his own father and married his mother. Throughout the discovery, he doubted the citizens and a new side of Oedipus arose. Aristotle, the creator of the tragic hero cycle, thought Oedipus was the ideal example of a tragic hero. The six elements are present within Sophocles’ play beginning with the hamartia, leading to the anagnorisis, and concluding with the nemesis.

What is a tragic hero? A Tragic hero is a man or character who has great influence, makes an error in his or her actions, and who must suffer the consequences of those actions. Oedipus’ tragic flaws starts with his excessive pride which leads to overconfidence as the people in the city lift him up and feed his ego: “You are not one of the immortal gods we know; Yet we have come to you to make our prayer. As to the man of all men best in adversity and wisest in the ways of God.” (Prologue, Line 34-37)

Aristotle (384-322 B.C.) defines a tragic hero as one who possesses the characteristics of hamartia, peripeteia, anagnorisis, and that the characters fate must be greater than deserved (Else). Since the main character in Sophocles’ classic tragedy Oedipus Rex or Oedipus the King matches up to Aristotle’s definition, Oedipus certainly exemplifies what it is to be a “tragic hero.”

According to Aristotle's theory of tragedy and his definition of the central character, Oedipus the hero of Sophocles is considered a classical model of the tragic hero. The tragic hero of a tragedy is essential element to arouse pity and fear of the audience to achieve the emotional purgation or catharathis. Therefore, this character must have some features or characteristics this state of purgation. In fact, Oedipus as a character has all the features of the tragic hero as demanded by Aristotle.