Qragistic Hero : Oedipus : The Ideal Tragic Hero

In the play Oedipus the King we identify the classic tragic hero. The character Oedipus Rex plays the role of the tragic hero perfectly. He shows the three main characteristics being talented and of noble birth, possessing a tragic flaw that causes the downfall and pain of everyone, and the recognition of responsibility.

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.

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

Oedipus is well known and prominent and that is important to making him a true tragic hero. A tragic hero is always in a place of power usually politically. In the beginning of the story Oedipus is the son of the queen and king of Thebes, but because of a prophecy his Father fears his child and expels him out of the kingdom. Yet through strange transactions the baby ends up becoming the prince of Corinth, but he leaves to try to escape his cruel fate. On his journey he encounters a sphinx, by solving the riddles it has for him he defeats it "you freed us from the sphinx" (line 44), defeating a

Aristotle, Ancient Greek philosopher whom did a lot of philosophizing, he believed in a logical reality. Aristotle’s objective was to come up with a universal process of reasoning that would allow man to learn every imaginable thing about reality. The initial process involved describing objects based on their characteristics, states of being and actions. Aristotle once said "A man doesn 't become a hero until he can see the root of his own downfall”. Oedipus was a mythical Greek king of Thebes. Oedipus is in fact a tragic hero. Aristotle uses six different points to define a tragic hero. (1)The tragic hero must be of noble stature and have greatness. (2)Though the tragic hero pre-eminently great, he or she is not perfect. (3)The hero 's downfall is their own fault. (4) The hero’s misfortune is not fully deserved and the punishment exceeds the crime. (5)The fall is not a pure loss. (6) And though it arouses solemn emotion tragedy does not leave the audience in a state of depression. Using Aristotle definition of a tragic hero, I will show that in Oedipus in “Oedipus the King” is in fact a tragic hero; hence, how his decisions led to his downfall. Oedipus is a man of high standing (king of Thebes) intellectually (he 's a great solver of riddles) and morally he is determined to find the murderer and to end the plague of his people). His quest to find the murderer described by

Aristotle also outlined the characteristics of a good tragic hero. He must be "better than we are," a man who is superior to the average man in some way. In Oedipus 's case, he is superior not only because of social standing, but also because he is smart ¬ he is the only person who could solve the Sphinx 's riddle. At the same time, a tragic hero must evoke both pity and fear, and Aristotle claims that the best way to do this is if he is imperfect. A character with a mixture of good and evil is more compelling that a character who is merely good. And Oedipus is definitely not perfect; although a clever man, he is blind to the truth and refuses to believe Teiresias 's warnings. Although he is a good father, he unwittingly fathered children

A Tragic Hero is a great or virtuous character who is destined for downfall, suffering , or defeat. Oedipus illustrates error of judgement, a reversal of fortune brought about because of Oedipus actions, the discovery that the reversal was brought about by Oedipus owns actions, excessive pride, and his fate must be greater than deserved. Oedipus illustrates the error of judgement because it

Killing his father, marrying his mother, blinding himself, abandoning his country; these are all actions the main character, Oedipus, commits in Oedipus the King and Oedipus at Colonus, which adds to his tragic heroicness. He starts off with the potential to be great, but was doomed to eventually fall and by the end, he meets his moral victory. Although some may disagree with the fact that Oedipus is a tragic hero, there are a plethora of examples to prove that he is the tragic hero of both plays. In fact, almost every major action Oedipus takes throughout the two plays are actions that could qualify him as being a tragic hero.

A tragic hero has many traits and characterized in many lights, but what mainly encompasses a tragic hero six things. The first is called the Hamartia, this is the tragic flaw that causes the downfall of the hero. The second is called the Hubris, this is the excessive pride or,it can also be labeled as over confidence, and their disrespect for natural order. The third thing is called the Peripeteia this is known as the reversal of that the the hero experiences. The fourth thing is called the Anagnorisis, this is the moment in which the hero makes an important discovery. The fifth is known as Nemesis this is the fate of the protagonist. The sixth and final characteristic of a tragic hero is Catharsis and these are the feelings of pity and pity that usually the audience feels for the protagonist after the downfall of the hero. In this book, Oedipus the King, Oedipus posses all of these traits.

Though some of his actions today’s audience might find hard to stomach down.. In the beginning of the play, when the people of Thebes are suffering, Oedipus makes it clear that the pain felt by his people is also felt by himself, and that he will do anything to make them happy again.. Oedipus was willing to help his people, rather than turn his back to them. It bothers him to know that Laius’ murderer hasn’t been caught all these years; indeed, it is the fact that justice has not been served in this matter which springs him into action. A strong commitment to justice reflects a belief in the moral structure of right and wrong. Oedipus could be considered a tragedy because he has hubris that is his pride makes him blind to the truth. He refuses to listen to Tiresias, who says that Oedipus was the one who killed his father, Laius. He is tragic because he struggles against the forces of his fate and pity of the prophecy due to his weakness, which puts fear in the audience. Thus, he is an perfect example of a tragic hero for causing his own downfall, falling from his own grounds and facing undeserved

Oedipus was certainly a tragic figure because he tried so hard to be a good man and ruler, but his

Oedipus Rex, by Sophocles, is the tale of a tragic hero, as defined by Aristotle. This book is the story of a king who learns that he has done a terrible deed through his folly. This classic story teaches the lesson that pride and other sins come before a fall. The first part of the definition of a tragic hero states that the character, usually the protagonist, must be of a noble birth and also must be virtuous and noble of character. Oedipus is all of these things; he is a king and a king's son. All of his people come to him when they are in a time of trouble, showing that they trust him to treat them with virtuousness and nobility.Another feature of Aristotle's definition states that the character is not perfect; he or she is like any other

When referring to the play, Oedipus the King, many people question whether Oedipus should have the title of a tragic hero based on the events that take place in the play. When deciding if this label is true, we must look into some of the significant elements that make up the character of a tragic hero.

Oedipus the King is seen as a perfect tragedy. It features a hero with a tragic flaw, Oedipus, and highlights many common themes in Greek tragedy such as fate or destiny, love, pride, loss, the abuse of power, and a tense relationship between man and God. It also meets the five main standards for a tragedy: a tragic hero of noble birth, a tragic flaw, a fall from grace, a moment of remorse, and catharsis [HubPages]. In this play, the audience learns of Oedipus’ past and hears foreshadowing of his future all while we see him trying to figure it out for himself. He