Tragic Hero In Oedipus The King

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.

The archetypal term “tragic hero” was originally coined by the Greek philosopher Aristotle in Poetics as he began to theorize Greek Tragedy. In the grand debate of who the archetypal tragic hero is, Oedipus fulfills the position just as he fulfilled his inexorable fate with a tragic flaw that brought about his downfall. As Aristotle states, Oedipus eventually comes to recognize his flaw and its consequences, but only after it is too late to change or reverse the course of events.

Considered one of the greatest dramas of all time, Sophocles’ play Oedipus the King follows the tragic life of Oedipus, king of Thebes. Considered a Satyr play, the Oedipus trilogy is perhaps the most famous of Sophocles’ plays. Oedipus the King, is an Athenian tragedy that was first performed somewhere around 429 BC in Athens, Greece. Originally, the Greeks referred to the play as simply “Oedipus,” as that was what Aristotle referred to it as in the Poetics. Perhaps what makes this play so memorable, is Sophocles’ uses of the tragic hero as the main theme. Sophocles uses characterization and conflict to portray Oedipus as an Aristotelian tragic hero.

Abraham Lincoln once pronounced, “You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.” In Oedipus the King by Sophocles, Oedipus tries to escape his fate by fleeing from his adopted parents in Corinth. Instead, he becomes responsible for triggering the destruction that leads to his eventual demise. A tragic hero is of noble birth characterized by a personality flaw and fated by the gods for doom (Santora). Oedipus is classified as a tragic hero by his tragic and heroic qualities, his responsibility for his fate, and his enlightenment.

Captivating heroes like Batman and Robin have become inspirational figures of modern day society that people love, but do they really dive into how tragic their lives really are? What happened to the truly emotional stories of tragedy rather than 15 minutes of non-important backstory? These heroes had done great things in their life, but fell gracefully from power due to selfish inhibitions and get remembered for how their mess up affected everyone else in the vicinity. Why can’t stories be as tragic as Sophocles’ Oedipus the King? He was a true tragic hero that saved his city and fell due to several flawed character traits. His drop from power came about because of his sense of hubris and ignorance to the presence of facts around him. People’s lives in the media should invoke more tragedy and suffering, making the character more relatable due to his flaws. While this doesn’t happen often, there are a few characters, like Duncan Dewey, that possess traits that make them tragic heroes.

"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.

A tragic hero is a character who makes a judgement or moral error that inevitably leads to their downfall and own demise. Two well-known tragic heroes in literature are Oedipus and Creon. Both of these character received a prophecy from the prophet Tiresias that they were unhappy with. They both tried to change their fate and failed, leading to their inevitable downfall. Oedipus’ downfall lead to the death of Jocasta and Oedipus stabbing out his own eyeballs and Creon's’ downfall lead to the death of Haemon, Eurydice, and Antigone. In both Oedipus Rex and Antigone by Sophocles, Oedipus and Creon’s attempt on avoiding fate and failing shows that fate is real and that Oedipus and Creon were both foolish for trying to change it.

The purpose of a tragedy is to bring catharsis within the audience and purge the audience with pity and fear for the tragic hero. Key characteristics that comprise a tragic hero in relation to Aristotle’s idea of one include a destiny filled with great potential but ending in inevitable failure, a fatal flaw called hamartia, and an honorable death. These types of heroes are not completely bad nor are completely good; however, they are the ones responsible for their own fate. This is due to their disregard for divine warnings and lack of adherence to the laws of the land. In Oedipus Rex and Oedipus at Colonus, Sophocles displays how Oedipus is an example of a tragic hero, as defined by Aristotle, by exposing his internal attributes that contributed to his inevitable fate, leading to his tragic ending, through the use of various literary devices.

How did I get here in my life? What did I do to get to rock bottom? How did I let this happen? These are just some questions that some individuals in society might begin to ponder on when their entire lives are thrust into turmoil. Some people lose their livelihoods, their relationships, or even their minds, however, Oedipus and Dido lost much more than that. These were two great leaders that both, suffered by losing their reputations, their sanity, and their kingdoms. These are two great examples of what a tragic character displays, according to Aristotle’s conception. Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero is a distinguished person occupying a high position, living in prosperous circumstances and falling into misfortune because of an error in judgment. King Oedipus and Queen Dido are tragic characters that suffered equally, because they both unconsciously disrupted with a designated future, became infatuated with the wrong person, and ended with disgrace and shame.

King Oedipus is so much more than a catastrophic hero. He is very similar to Athens, the city that had intentions on becoming dictator of Greece. In his name, tyrannos, in the nature and basis of his power, in his character, and in the mode of his theatrical action, he is similar to Athens. The resemblance of Athens, whether deliberately perceived or not, must have won Oedipus the sympathy of the Athenian audience and solidly drew in the feelings of the crowd in the hero’s action and grief. Yet, it accomplishes something more. It adds an extra length of significance not only to his livelihood but also to his fall, which suggests, in symbolic, foretelling the fall of Athens itself. Like King Oedipus, Athens validates unceasing and ever more

In the play Oedipus the King, Oedipus struggles to accept the truth and lets his temper over power him. He can be displayed as a tragic hero. His refusal to accept the truth led to Oedipus’ down fall. A tragic hero, as defined by Aristotle, “is a literary character who makes a judgment error that inevitably leads to his/her own destruction.” Sophocles’ Oedipus exemplifies Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero.

The theme studied in this topic is the comparison of the tragic heroes within the following books. Nino Ricci’s Lives of the Saints, Sophocles “Oedipus the King” and William Shakespeare's “Julius Caesar” all share a common theme of the tragic hero. In text the following characters will be examined as the tragic heroes; Cristina, Vittorio’s mother, Oedipus, king of Thebes and Brutus, politician. Accordingly, the tragic heroes hamartia is the leading cause to their suffering, as well the suffering they caused for their families and the impact they had left on society. Despite facing tragedy themselves, the tragic heroes cause disaster for their families and society as a whole.

All of the tragic heroes have unfortunate things in common. They all have certain qualities that make them a tragic hero. Hamartia is a required trait for the person to be considered a tragic hero. Also, hubris is needed to complete the tragic hero. The thing is there are multiple definitions of a tragedy. People believe that regular people are more capable of partaking in a tragedy. Hamlet and Oedipus are examples of the traditional tragedy. Hamlet’s actions were all voluntary. He knew what he was doing and the consequences. Oedipus suffered from fate of his family. He didn’t realize exactly what he was doing or the consequences. Oedipus is the truest tragic hero according to the traditional definition of a tragedy, the downfall of his royalty and uncontrollable fate is a perfect example.

Knox, B. M. (1998). Hero. In Oedipus at Thebes: Sophocles' tragic hero and his time (1st ed., p. 4). New Haven, NY: Yale University Press.

The play “King Oedipus” contains the characteristics of a tragedy. The play is set in a tragic setting, atmosphere and mood. Oedipus, the King of Thebes, is the protagonist of the play where he goes through some form of suffering and has a tragic flaw that leads to a catastrophe. The play also has a tragic understanding by the audience and character. Therefore, I consider “King Oedipus” a tragedy because of the events in the play such as Oedipus’s destined fate at birth and his actions after the revelation of the truth about his parentage.