Oedipus Tragic Flaw

1472 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Analysis the character of oedipus

“Time, which watches everything / and uncovered you against your will” (1453-1454). Time reveals everything. In Oedipus Rex, by Sophocles, the main character’s, Oedipus, prophecy unveils over time. Aristotle’s definition of a Greek tragedy must include a complete moment, a tragic hero, a tragic action, a darker side of human nature, a catharsis, and a tragic flaw. In Oedipus Rex, by Sophocles, the complete moment is when Oedipus curses the murderer and begins investigating Laius’, the king of Thebes, death, Oedipus discusses the killer with Teiresias, a prophet, and when Oedipus discovers that he killed Laius. Oedipus Rex is the tragic hero with a tragic flaw; pride. Other important elements Aristotle believes that create a perfect tragedy …show more content…

A tragic flaw is having too much of a normally admirable human emotion. This allows for the audience to connect with the tragic hero. Oedipus’s tragic flaw is pride, which is evident when he says, “But I will never steal myself dishonored. / I see myself as a child of Fortune” (1298-1299). He has too much pride, which makes it a tragic flaw. Oedipus’s pride has stood in the way of the truth. For example, Oedipus calls himself a child of the great gods, however, he argues with these gods. Oedipus cannot see past what he believes because of his pridefulness. Another characteristic of a tragic hero is a change in fortune. This is the moment when the tragic hero’s fortune changes from good to bad. Oedipus experiences this change in fortune after he discovers the truth about his prophecy. “Don’t try to keep control of everything. You have lost the power your life once had” (1803-1804). Oedipus was the king of Thebes and was the man that everyone looked up to. Once the truth is revealed, Oedipus starts to fall. Creon, Oedipus’s brother-in-law, now has the power as king. Creon tells Oedipus that he cannot tell people what to do anymore because he is not the king anymore. Once the tragic hero falls, there is a moment where the audience feels pity and fear. Aristotle considers this moment the catharsis. “No, no! / do not take them away from me” (1801–1802). Once Oedipus has blinded himself, lost all his power, and is soon to be exiled, the audience has a moment of catharsis. Oedipus says goodbye to his daughters before leaving Thebes. When it is time to leave, Oedipus does not want to leave his daughters, which causes the audience to feel sympathy toward him. Oedipus fits Aristotle’s idea of a tragic hero perfectly because he has a tragic flaw, change in fortune, and a moment of

Show More
Related

  • Oedipus is Deserving of his Suffering

    547 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Comparing Oedipus and Hamlet

    374 Words  | 1 Pages

    Oedipus fits Aristotle's definition of the tragic flaw and protagonist almost flawlessly. Aristotle described the protagonist as "someone regarded as extraordinary rather than typical..."(1117). Oedipus freed Thebes from the Sphinx by solving her riddle-- something nobody else had been able to do. The priest in the first scene of Act I calls Oedipus "...our greatest power" (1121) and describes him as rated first among men.

    Read More

  • Oedipus the King: The Tragic Flaws Of Oedipus

    1052 Words  | 3 Pages

    The great Sophoclean play, Oedipus Rex is an amazing play, and one of the first of its time to accurately portray the common tragic hero. Written in the time of ancient Greece, Sophocles perfected the use of character flaws in Greek drama with Oedipus Rex. Using Oedipus as his tragic hero, Sophocles’ plays forced the audience to experience a catharsis of emotions. Sophocles showed the play-watchers Oedipus’s life in the beginning as a “privileged, exalted [person] who [earned his] high repute and status by…intelligence.” Then, the great playwright reached in and violently pulled out the audience’s most sorrowful emotions, pity and fear, in showing Oedipus’s “crushing fall” from greatness.

    Read More

  • The Tragedy Of Oedipus The King As A Tragic Hero

    1209 Words  | 3 Pages

    Oedipus is widely known for being the man that killed his father and married his mother. After Oedipus finds out about what he has done he proceeds to jab both of his eyes out and remains blind for the rest of his life. By Oedipus doing this it means that his fate that was told to his parents at the beginning of the story had come true. With Oedipus jabbing his eyes out, this made it clear that this was a tragedy. Oedipus is the perfect fit of being a tragic hero. First of all by being born into royalty and throughout his life he held a royal persona. Also he makes some choices that leads him to his own destruction. For example, with him already marrying his mother and his mother had already had several of his kids their was nothing that he could do when he found out that his wife was also his mother. In the story as he went back to confront his mother/wife, she had already hung herself. As for being a hero, he done many heroic things throughout his life. For example, when he arrived at the city where he met his mother and father, there

    Read More

  • Self-Deception In Oedipus The King

    1118 Words  | 3 Pages

    What would you do if someone told you you would end up killing your father and marrying your mother when you grow up? You would do anything to keep that from happening, wouldn’t you? Oedipus did in Oedipus the King by Sophocles. Unfortunately, Oedipus fails in avoiding his fate. Faced with a choice between pursuing the truth which everyone tells him would lead to his destruction or accepting a life without knowing any better, Oedipus chooses self-knowledge over self-deception. This makes Oedipus a perfect example of a tragic hero. In Greek drama, a tragic hero is a protagonist of a noble birth who possesses a tragic flaw that leads to his down fall but shows the courage to accept responsibility for his own actions.

    Read More

  • Willy Loman And Oedipus Essay

    1345 Words  | 3 Pages

    In this quote, Aristotle believes Oedipus to be one of the best examples of a tragic hero. He also states that all tragic heroes have flaws which are the main causes for their downfalls. Oedipus is an example of a classic tragic hero while Willy Loman is a modern tragic hero however, both Oedipus and Willy have similar flaws. They both experience hubris because they struggle with reality due to their arrogance and self-pride. As a result, these characters inflict harm to themselves due to their lack of right judgement. In addition, these tragic heroes are blind and fail to see the tragic flaws in which they have.

    Read More

  • Philosophy: Oedipus and Aristotle

    1245 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Pride, the Tragic Flaw of Oedipus the King

    513 Words  | 2 Pages

    According to Aristotle, the protagonist in a tragedy must have a tragic flaw that ultimately becomes the cause of his ruin. Oedipus in Oedipus the King by Sophocles tragic flaw that caused his downfall was his pride. Three examples of when Oedipus’ pride got the better of him were: when he left his adopted parents in Cornith, the second is when he goes against Creon, and the third is when Oedipus is demanding that the messenger tell him all he knows about who his real parents are.

    Read More

  • Aristotle’s Poetics

    1022 Words  | 3 Pages

    Courageous and admirable with noble qualities defines a heroine. In Aristotle’s Poetics he describes a tragic hero as a character who is larger than life and through fate and a flaw they destroy themselves. Additionally, Aristotle states excessive pride is the hubris of a tragic hero. The hero is very self-involved; they are blind to their surroundings and commit a tragic action. A tragedy describes a story that evokes sadness and awe, something larger than life. Furthermore, a tragedy of a play results in the destruction of a hero, evoking catharsis and feelings of pity and fear among the audience. Aristotle states, "It should, moreover, imitate actions which excite pity and fear, this being the distinctive mark of tragic imitation." (18) For a tragedy to arouse fear, the audience believes similar fate might happen to them and the sight of the suffering of others arouses pity. A tragedy's plot includes peripeteia, anagnorisis, hamartia and catharsis. Using Aristotle’s criteria, both characters in Oedipus The King and The Medea share similar qualities that define a tragic hero such as being of noble birth, having excessive pride, and making poor choices. They both gain recognition through their downfall and the audience feels pity and fear.

    Read More

  • Oedipus The King

    865 Words  | 2 Pages

    No more. I must know it all, must see the truth at last.” (Sophocles 1167-1169). Additionally, Oedipus uses his intellect to become ruler of Thebes by solving the riddle of the sphinx, but it is this intellect of his that leads him to the truth of his identity and his consequent downfall. There is no way that Oedipus would’ve thought or known of the consequences that would follow with his actions and it is this fact that makes the audience feel sorry for him and his destined downfall.

    Read More

  • The Hubris of Oedipus in Oedipus the King

    1857 Words  | 4 Pages

    In conclusion, Oedipus’s pride, or hubris was the tragic flaw throughout the play that ultimately led him to the state he finds himself in at the end of the play. As John Weigel puts it “The play is not a tragedy of fate. Not only does the protagonist act freely, but his own character is essential to events. The oracles set in motion a group of free mortals whose encounters are governed partly by their own choices, partly by apparent chance. As so often, causes seem to be both divine and human. “ (Weigel, p. 731) However, Oedipus is still a tragic hero because he eventually becomes aware of his faults (after great loss) and accepts responsibility for his actions.

    Read More

  • Hamlet And Peripeteia Essay

    1715 Words  | 4 Pages

    That being said, in order to produce a tragedy, it is necessary to have a tragic hero. Aristotle sets forward characteristics that all tragic heroes should have in common. Included are hamartia, peripeteia, anagnorisis, and consequence. Hamartia, or the hero's tragic flaw, is his error or transgression or his flaw or weakness of character. Peripeteia, is the reversal of his fortune.

    Read More

  • Oedipus the King as a Tragic Hero

    954 Words  | 2 Pages

    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. Another feature in the tragic hero is that he has good reputation and he is a man of prosperity. It can be said that Oedipus is a tragic hero because he has all the previous mentioned characteristics and the whole play is a classical application of this concept.

    Read More

  • Oedipus: A Victim of Fate

    710 Words  | 2 Pages

    Oedipus was a victime of fate, his futur was foretold by an Oracle, he had no way of knowing that his wife was his mother nor that the stranger he killed was his father. Oedipus could not prevent his own downfall. Oedipus was the king of Thebes, he became king when he cured the city of a deadly plague. He cured the plague by solving the riddle of the mythical creature, the Sphinkx. Now the city is suffering from another plague and as king Oedipus must solve the riddle of this one.

    Read More

  • Tragedy In Oedipus The King, The Tragic Hero

    997 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

More about Oedipus Tragic Flaw

Open Document