Tragedy In Oedipus The King, The Tragic Hero

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Oedipus the Tragic Hero Oedipus is depicted as a “marionette in the hands of a daemonic power”(pg150), but like all tragic hero’s he fights and struggles against fate even when the odds are against him. His most tragic flaw is his morality, as he struggles between the good and the evil of his life. The good is that he was pitied by the Shepard who saved him from death as a baby. The evil is his fate, where he is to kill his father and marry his mother. His hubris or excessive pride and self-righteousness are the lead causes to his downfall. Oedipus is a tragic hero who suffers the consequences of his immoral actions, and must learn from these mistakes. This Aristotelian theory of tragedy exists today, as an example of what happens when men and women that fall from high positions politically and socially. Oedipus had good intentions for his people and tries to save the city when death is at its doorstep even admitting that they mean more to him that is own life “I grieve for these, my people far more that I fear for my own life”(106-106). His determination to seek the truth and care for his people not only makes him an admirable man but respectable king. His quest for truth no matter …show more content…

His ideal qualities of being intelligent and powerful, but not perfect, were not enough to keep his falling into misfortune. Like many tragic heroes despite their lofty positions who make mistakes they must suffer the consequences. He then becomes an example to us all to what happens when powerful men fall from high positions. The pain he suffered was inflicted upon himself because he though he was powerful enough to control his life but in reality he was powerless. The unavoidable fate to kill his father and marry his mother create pity from the audience for the fact that we can’t control what we were destined to do no matter how hard we

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