Characteristics Of Oedipus The King

A protagonist is a hero of a tragedy who has a high authority or power, and is a somewhat okay person, who is brought down by an error in judgement. A good character example is, Oedipus the King, by Sophocles. Oedipus is a tragic hero who is characterized by the definition described. Oedipus the king had a hard way of life since after his birth he is abandoned by his parents ,who wanted him killed when he was cast out of Thebes. This however, does not stop him from being completely happy in life. Oedipus is a tragic hero because he is not this perceived perfect guy. He has bad qualities, but this is not why he experiences a downfall. Oedipus the King, by Sophocles is a greek tragedy play about human suffering and pain, but is good at the

Instead he stabs his eyes out loses his honor and his kingdom. “ Your broken by what happened , broken by what’s happening in your own mind. I wish you’d never learned the truth(1530-32, 520).” He makes a very good point , sometimes the truth is just too much to handle, but a true hero can find the strength to overcome it. “The concept of tragic hero is very important in the construction of tragedy. It is the main cause of pity and fear. The tragic hero is a character between the two extremes; he is neither virtuous nor evil. At the same time, this character is better than the ordinary men or audience, he has some good qualities. Moreover, as a tragic hero, he is moving from happiness to misery by his downfall at the end. In fact, this downfall is caused by an error or a flaw in his character not by a vice or depravity. It can be said that Oedipus is a tragic hero because he has all the previous mentioned characteristics…(Glassberg)”. Oedipus was considered to be a good man in the beginning, but because of his tragic flaws this lead him to his downfall. He went from happiness to being miserable when he found out the

He sees himself as somebody who polluted and caused disaster in the city of Thebes. At this point Oedipus is aware of his fate, and how he has lived it. He is now aware of his curse , his marriage, and his murder of his own father. “ Such is the ideal character, the man who is best fitted to attain happiness in the world of men. On the other hand, the tragic hero is a man who fails to attain happiness, and fails in such a way that his career excites, not blame, but fear and pity in the highest degree. In the Poetics, he is described as not eminently good and just, not completely under the guidance of true and reason, but as falling through some great error or flaw of character, rather than through vice or depravity. Moreover, in order that his downfall may be as striking as possible, he must be, as was Oedipus, of an illustrious family, highly renowned and prosperous. When we analyze the character of Oedipus, we discover that, in spite of much natural greatness of soul, he is, in one vital respect, the exact idea of an ideal man. He has no clear vision which enables him to examine every side of a matter with unclouded eyes, and to see all things include perspective; nor has he a calm wisdom which is always master