Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Tragic hero as a characteristic of tragedy in Sophocles Oedipus Rex
The characterisation of Sophocles's king Oedipus
The characterisation of Sophocles's king Oedipus
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Introduction One of the foundations of a Greek Tragedy is the concept of the tragic hero. Aristotle outlined what he believed were the characteristics of a tragic hero. Based on those characteristics we can examine Sophocles’ Oedipus and determine if he is representative of Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero. In this essay we will look at Aristotle’s views on Greek tragedy and the tragic hero and how Oedipus is representative of Aristotle’s views. The essay will show that Aristotle’s characteristics of a tragic hero are exemplified in the Sophocles’ Oedipus. In order to understand what a Greek Tragedy is and understand the concept of a tragic hero, we must define what the word tragedy means. According to Brown …show more content…
The people of Thebes worship Oedipus. Oedipus suffers from the consequences of his actions. Oedipus is unaware the things that he has done. Oedipus is seen as a tragic hero is evident in his lack of knowledge of himself, his desire to find the truth and because of the wisdom that he gains at the end of the story. Oedipus decides to find out who murdered the king not knowing that he is not only the murder but the king is his father and he has married his wife who is his mother. Even after Tiresias confronts him about these events, Oedipus does not want to believe it. Oedipus begins to seek the truth but he does not really want to know the truth about himself. According to Farahbakhsh (2013), “Oedipus’ life is replete with choices and decisions: he decides to believe the oracle of Apollo’s temple and escape from Corinth; he decides to kill Laius, whom he did not know was his real father; he decides to risk his life and face the Sphinx; he decides to marry Jocasta, whom it did not know was his mother, as reward for killing the Sphinx; and ironically he sets out to punish Laius murderer” (Farahbakhsh, 2013). Unfortunately these decisions are Oedipus’ destiny that he has to fulfill. “If we give ourselves up to a full sympathy with the hero, there is no question that Oedipus fulfills the function of a tragedy, and arouses fear and pity in the highest degree” (Barstow, …show more content…
The story of Oedipus is characteristic of what Aristotle definition of a tragic hero. Oedipus is a noble and respected man who unknowingly does things in his life that ultimately causes his downfall. Oedipus tragic flaws lead him to seek the out the truth and discover the real truth about himself. Ironically his desire for the truth causes his downfall. Oedipus’ story causes the audience to feel empathy as well as fear for him. But the things that Oedipus occurs in the story are his fate. Aristotle also stated the tragic hero must gain some kind of wisdom from his erroneous judgment. Oepidus does find that wisdom in the end and becomes an example of how great men can fall unexpectedly to
Oedipus's pride leads to the story's tragic ending. He is too proud to consider the words of the prophet Teiresias, choosing, instead to rely on his own investing powers. Teiresias warns him not to pry into these matters, but pride in his intelligence leads Oedipus to continue his search. Oedipus thinks he can change fate. He just tries to ignore it, because he counts on his own ability to root out the truth. Oedipus is a clever man, but he is blind to the truth and refuses to believe Teiresias's warnings. He suffers because of his hamartia. I t is this excessive pride fuels his own destruction. I would just say Oedipus is a tragic hero.
Oedipus is a tragic hero being that he was a king who had a high position in his community to a person who wished to be released from the city forever. Oedipus says " Cast me out as quickly as you can, away from Thebes, to a place where no one, no living human being, will cross my path" (Sophocles ll. 1697-1699). Oedipus was once a person who citizens looked to for answers to problems, and a person who had control over a whole city. To a person who wished to be banished from a new king of Thebes. The use of tragic hero in the story shows a slow slope of not only his position as king, but a man who loses his family and gains information about his real identity. Sending him to his
Oedipus is shown to be a well-liked and trusted king among all his townspeople. Solving the riddle of the Sphinx and saving Thebes brought him great fame and popularity. When time came to save the town from Laios’ killer, Oedipus relied much on his intellect. He searched for information about the night of the murder from Creon and Teiresias, but as he learned more details, Oedipus realized not only that he was the killer but also that he married his mother. Throughout his inquiry he believed he was doing good for his people as well as himself, but eventually it brought him shame. Oedipus was humiliated and disgusted and stated, “…kill me; or hurl me into the sea, away from men’s eyes for ever(p882, 183).'; Oedipus’ wanted to be isolated from the people of Thebes because all his respect and fame was destroyed by his fate.
There are many facets of personality of a minor character that authors may utilize to supply contrast to the main character of their work. Some of these contrasts are extremely noticeable and some are not. One such facet is with the use of a neutral character; to not only showcase the main character’s flaws, but so not to detract from the moral of the story. Creon, from the play “Oedipus the King” by Sophocles is used for both of these reasons. Sophocles wished to show that one cannot escape fate, yet did not want to cloud this issue with a possible coupe against his main character Oedipus. He also showed how, at times one character can act completely irrational, while one remains calm in the face of serious accusations.
Through Aristotle’s specific definition of a tragic hero, it can be concluded that Oedipus is a tragic hero. Oedipus The King was written by a well-known tragic dramatist named Sophocles. This story is considered to be one of the greatest tragedies of all time. In fact, the Marjorie Barstow of the Classical Weekly says that it “fulfills the function of a tragedy, and arouses fear and pity in the highest degree” (Barstow). It is also very controversial because of the relationship that Oedipus has with his mother, although it was unknown at the time that they were related. The qualifications of a tragic hero, according to Aristotle, include coming from a royal family and falling from power due to actions that only the protagonist can take responsibility for. The main character must also have a tragic flaw, which is defined as a “weakness in character” (Gioia). There have been many protagonists in other plays that represent a tragic hero, but none exemplify Aristotle’s tragic hero traits quite as well as Oedipus does because of many reasons including his royal history, his tragic flaw, his hamartia, and his his fall from power.
Oedipus Rex proves to be a tragic hero by displaying the qualities of goodness, appropriateness, and remaining consistent and realistic throughout the entire play. In the prologue of Oedipus Rex, Oedipus illustrates that he is morally good during his speech to the Priest and the suffering people of Thebes. "I know you are deathly sick; and yet, /Sick as you are, not one is as sick as I. /Each of you suffers in himself alone/His anguish, not another's; but my spirit/Groans for the city, for myself, for you" (Prologue. 63-66). He will not rest until the people are better and Laios' murderer is found. Another quality that Oedipus possesses is his appropriateness. He will go to great lengths to do what ever is necessary and appropriate to search for Laios' murderer and to help save the city, which can be illustrated is this quote: "I will do all that I can; you may tell them that. /So, with the help of God, /We shall be saved-or else indeed we are lost" (Prologue, 147-149). An additional characteristic that contributes to the tragic hero of Oedipus is that he is exceedingly consistent. From the beginning of the play to the end, Oedipus is determined to figure out who killed Laios. He is consistent and will not stop until he finds the truth. Iokaste tells Oedipus to stop looking for the truth, but Oedipus will not listen. He tells Iokaste, "I will not listen; the truth must be made/known" (3.145). The last quality that plays a part in Oedipus' downfall is his realistic outlook. At the end of the play, Oedipus is realistic when he discovers the truth. "And now what is left? /Images? Love? A greeting even, / Sweet to the senses? Is there anything? /An, no friends: lead me away. /Lead me away from Thebes" (Exodos.171-121). He is very realistic in knowing that there is nothing left for him in Thebes. Furthermore, Oedipus realistically accepts his fate and lets Kreon become ruler. "No, For the love of God, conceal me/Somewhere far from Thebes; or kill me; or hurl me/Into the sea, away from men's eyes for ever" (Exodos.182-184). Oedipus knows what he did is wrong and knows that he deserves to be exiled. He is realistic in his punishment.
tells the priest and the suffering people of Thebes. If Oedipus did not care for
Oedipus demonstrates that he is not a purely evil character by fleeing his home town for safety of others, taking care of his city and accepting responsibility for his actions. Once Oedipus has grown to be a young man he is told that he is to kill his father and sleep with his mother because it is his fate. As a result “I [Oedipus] herd and fled” to Thebes so he can prevent those actions from occurring (822). Oedipus runs away from his fate to help himself out as well as his family. He does not want to kill his father; therefore, he runs away from his fate for the safety of his father. This shows that he is not a purely evil character because he is saving a life and looking after others besides himself. However, running from what he believes is his fate causes him to run into his real fate which leads to his downfall as a leader. On the other hand, it causes Oedipus to take the position as king of Thebes. Being leader of the city, he is forced into
With this in mind, many believe that King Oedipus in Sophocles’ play, Oedipus the King, is the perfect example of Aristotle’s tragic hero. Does he, however, truly fulfill all the “requirements” described in Poetics or is there something we miss in the depths of his fascinating and multi-faceted character that does not fit into Aristotle’s template? Without a doubt, Oe...
Oedipus is a hero, as defined by Johnston. According to Johnston, ‘a hero is someone who confronts fate in a very personal manner and whose reaction to that encounter serves to illuminate for us our own particular condition’ (Johnston, Part 2). Oedipus definitely confronts fate in a personal manner. Among other things, he challenges the mysterious qualities of fate by pursuing the Shepherd despite warnings from Jocasta (Sophocles, 71). Oedipus follows through on confronting fate with his individual approach of uncompromising persistence and integrity (Johnston, Part 3). Even at the end of his downfall, Oedipus maintains that Kreon should banish him and that he must obey the curses he himself ordered for the murderer of King Laios (Sophocles, 89-90). Despite being so broken and publicly shamed, Oedipus still persists with his former way of interacting with fate : noble defiance (Johnston, Part 3). Although this quality itself is admirable, Oedipus takes uncompromising to the extreme, losing insight on everything else. Oedipus becomes ignorant to his surroundings, leading to his downfall (Johnston, Part 3). Oedipus’ story also challenges the fundamental belief that life should be rational and just. (Johnston, Part 3) His story illuminates that fate is arbitrarily cruel and will sometimes pick the gre...
This essay seeks to explore the life of the flawed mythological person, Oedipus, as protagonist of Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex.
However, his failure can be solely attributed to his character flaws. It is worth noting that Oedipus character traits and flaws are typical of most Greek tragedies. According to Fletcher, Greek tragedies are characterized by protagonists who despite being perfect end up failing in their endeavors (75). In this case, though Oedipus is almost perfect, his perfection is obstructed by the humartia. This, in turn, leads to his downfall as the protagonist in the tragedy. Oedipus is arrogant, proud and does not heed to any advice. Moreover, he is fearless since he does not give up his mission towards unraveling the mysteries that came his way. Despite his flaws, Oedipus is understanding and a good person who is ever determined to establish the truth. Immediately he discovers who he is, Oedipus accepts his fate and is willing to take the punishment meted to him. I presume that the fact that he accepts his fate and is ready to take up the responsibility for his actions make him the tragic hero of the
Oedipus' pride is an essential characteristic throughout the play. Even before Oedipus came into power as the King of Thebes he allowed his arrogance to control his judgment and reign over his actions. Oblivious to his knowledge, Oedipus fulfills Apollo's oracle when he encounters a band of men at a crossroad. The driver offends Oedipus as he brushes by, inciting Oedipus' anger. Although the contact is just a slight intrusion, Oedipus, outraged that someone would have the gall to trouble him and ends up killing all of them. “A thief, so daring, so wild, he’d kill a king? Impossible unless conspirators paid him off in Thebes.” (p. 621 ln.140-142) in which unknowingly Oedipus is describing himself, as he recalls the incident to his wife and biological mother Jocasta he is not remorseful for the loss of life nor for his part in the crime. Instead, Oedipus comes off as that he is satisfied that he had taken revenge. Had his arrogance and pride not interfered, Oedipus would not have made the rash decision to kill all of the party and in turn, wouldn’t have fulfilled Apollo’s oracle that was made to Laius and Jocasta.
This essay will illustrate the types of characters depicted in Sophocles’ tragic drama, Oedipus Rex, whether static or dynamic, flat or round, and whether protrayed through the showing or telling technique.
In fact, every feature in the definition of the tragic hero can be applied to the character of Oedipus. First, he is a good man. He made a virtuous service to Thebes and save the city by solving the riddle of Sphinx. In addition, he is good king and he can feel the suffering of his people because of the plague. He tells them "each one of you is enclosed to himself" he tells them that his suffering is greater than ...