Tragic Flaw In Oedipus The King

The Hamartia of King Oedipus

“Tragedy is a tool for the living to gain wisdom, not a guide by which to live,” (Robert Kennedy). A tragic flaw is a trait in the hero character within a literary piece which leads to the individual’s downfall. The play Oedipus The King, a play by Sophocles, follows a man as he tries to discover the murderer of the former King in order to end a plague. The main character, named Oedipus, has tragic flaws which leads to his deposition in the end. Oedipus obtains a lack of self knowledge, resulting in his constant denial of his true identity and causes his search to be prolonged. The protagonist, Oedipus, simultaneously possesses the contrary flaw of being a truth seeker, which ultimately makes the investigation

The truth has been hidden from Oedipus for his entire life and so when individuals try to tell him, he is quick to shut them down or suggest that they are suspects of crime. For example, when Oedipus is speaking to the citizens of Thebes and tells the murderer of Laius or anyone with information to come forward. Tiresias intelligently and discreetly finds a way to inform Oedipus that he is in fact the person he is searching for, but Oedipus foolishly chooses to reject his insight. Oedipus then results to accusing Creon and Tiresias of trying to overthrow him, when in actuality they were trying to help him. The protagonist allows himself to remain completely oblivious to who he actually his because he tragic flaw of his lack of knowledge. Throughout his quest for truth, Oedipus has to ask numerous people for help and it shows how much information he truly lacks. After speaking with Jocasta, Oedipus has a conversation with the messenger who gives him news about his the King of Corinth and reveals that Oedipus is not related to Polybus nor Merope. Although, the above may seem to be a quick realization, it took the messenger multiple tries and evidence to convince Oedipus of what he was talking about. For Oedipus ignorance is not bliss, but ignorance seems to latch onto all his flaws and lead him to destruction. The main character is always searching for answers, but

The most important account of his anger is when he comes to path with Laius and they get into a fight, which leads to Oedipus killing the entire group of people there along with Laius. His tragic flaw is that he is more inclined to violence and anger, than to actually trying to resolve the situation in a rational manner. Additionally, when Oedipus speaks with Tiresias he is short-tempered once again because he does not approve of what he is being told. He then taunts and mocks Tiresias for being blind and basically slanders him. Oedipus has an impulsive nature which causes him act irrationally and makes him more impetuous. “ In God’s name, tell me for when you made this plot- a coward? Or a fool? Did you think I wouldn’t notice this conspiracy of yours creeping up on me in the dark?” (Sophocles 28). In particular, after Oedipus finishes speaking with Tiresias, he then accuses Creon of plotting against him, without any evidence. It is evident that Oedipus’ angry and reckless tendency lead him towards his