As A Tragic Hero In Oedipus

772 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Aristotelian tragedies of oedipus

The Tragic Hero: In Oedipus Tyrannus.

Is Oedipus a tragic hero? Oedipus in the play Oedipus rex, plays the villain, a murderer and even the role of a hero. As a tragic hero, Oedipus makes an error in judgement and is soon facing his own destruction and whose ultimate fate was determined by a self fulfilling prophecy. I believe that Oedipus becomes a tragic hero in Oedipus Tyrannus because he seeks justice for his father’s murder only to fulfill a prophecy of finding out he is actually the one who has killed his father. The story ends tragically, He falls from being a hero to a murderer and The prophecy is fulfilled ending with his tragic fate. Oedipus reflects the status of a hero, when he cures the city of Thebes of the plague by …show more content…

“I will stop at nothing to find the one who has this man’s blood on his hands.” – Oedipus (Sophocles, 2015). Oedipus stops at nothing to know the truth of who is guilty of the murder of the king. He soon summons the help of a blind prophet who may know the answer of who the king’s murderer was. The prophet however, knowing the truth of the prophecy refuses to let Oedipus know it was him who killed the king. Oedipus does not deal well with the prophet’s refusal to tell him who the killer was and becomes outraged and viscously accuses Tiresias of being the king’s murderer. “I see it now; you had a hand in this, you were part of the plot.” – Oedipus (Sophocles, 2015) Tiresias then has to reveal the truth to Oedipus “I say the murderer you seek is you.” - Tiresias (Sophocles, …show more content…

Oedipus starts to worry that maybe Tiresias was right in accusing him of the king’s death for he had killed a man in a carriage at a crossroads years ago. Oedipus still has hope that the story of the king being killed by several robbers is true and not by one single man at the very same crossroads. Oedipus must know the truth of what happened to the king, so he calls upon the one and only witness of the king’s death in order to reveal the truth. The truth is revealed to both Oedipus and his mother Jocasta that the prophecy has been fulfilled when Oedipus killed his father at the crossroads and took his mothers hand as the new king of Thebes. Oedipus has fallen and has killed his father and married his mother and the prophecy has come

Show More
Related

  • Oedipus the King: The Free Will of Oedipus

    352 Words  | 1 Pages

    As the truth is getting revealed: "… You, Oedipus, are the desecrator, the polluter of this land." Oedipus does not believe (his choice). He (Oedipus) start to accuse Creon of truing to take his powers away (king). And still want to reveal whole truth. After talking to Jocasta Oedipus faces that he in fact might killed the king Laius. " There was s herald leading a carriage drawn by horses and the man riding in the carriage … The driver pushed.

    Read More

  • Oedipus the King: Does Oedipus Satisfy the Definition of a Good Man?

    1412 Words  | 3 Pages

    As a young man, Oedipus learned of his fate to kill his father and marry his mother.  Oedipus flees to a distant land to escape his terrible fate and inadvertently fulfills the prophecy. Unknowingly, Oedipus kills his father and enters the bed of his mother.  Was Oedipus was a good man who happened to suffer an unfortunate fate, or was he a truly bad person, whose fate was only just?  If we accept the Aristotelian views of good and bad, as expressed in The Good, Oedipus was indeed a good man by saving the city, ruling justly and searching for the truth although his anger could be seen as a flaw.

    Read More

  • Tragic Oedipus

    1020 Words  | 3 Pages

    Tragic heroes cause intense empathetic reaction, developing an inevitable story of anguish and triumph. In Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, Oedipus is such a hero. He has many good, even heroic qualities; however, his deep flaws ultimately cause his undoing and terrible punishment. Although he comes across as a royal being who is basically good, he has flaws that ultimately cannot be controlled and devastate his life. As the readers watch his development and the development of the interwoven themes in the play, we ourselves suffer upon seeing and hearing the ironies of his relationships and motivations. Tragic heroes are relatable and saddening, and the pure idea of their being can draw deep emotion that lasts through civilizations and generations. Oedipus Rex is an iconic example of a tragic story with a tragic main character.

    Read More

  • Oedipus Rex, by Sophocles

    444 Words  | 1 Pages

    He murders his father and marries his mother unknowingly. While it may seem to some that Oedipus was destined to carry out his fate, it is also true that Oedipus’ personality led him to his fate. It is clear to see that Oedipus is an impulsive and passionate man, which causes Oedipus to fulfill the prophecy that haunts him. He flees the kingdom of Corinthian in order to avoid his fate. Along his journey he comes to a crossroad that is blocked by a chariot, and “in a fit of anger” Oedipus kills the father he never knew (Meyer 1422).

    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

  • Oedipus The King Research Paper

    916 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Sophocles’ work, Oedipus the King, Oedipus definitely fits Aristotle’s meaning of a tragic hero which is a man of honorable importance. He is not a usual man, but a man with outstanding superiority and immensity about himself. A man of his own ruins goes for a greater cause or principle. Oedipus conveys many mistakes. In the play Oedipus the King, things really had taken a turn from good to bad. Using Aristotle’s meaning defines will be proven that Oedipus is a 1main example of a tragic hero Nobleness, Tragic flaw, and Hardship are all characteristics that Aristotle described as to what a tragic hero really define as. These are also four features Oedipus proves his well- being of a catastrophic hero.

    Read More

  • Ambiguous Character In Oedipus The King

    1083 Words  | 3 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Jungian Archetypes and Oedipus the King

    1161 Words  | 3 Pages

    Oedipus finds out that he is the killer of King Laius and will become the archetypal sacrificial scapegoat for the city of Thebes. Throughout this passage from the play, Oedipus is continually gathering incriminating evidence against himself from the source of his own wife and mother, Jocasta. He discovers through her attempted reassurance that his quest from Corinth set his fate to be the killer of his biological father and the sacrificial scapegoat for the welfare of the people and land of Thebes.

    Read More

  • Oedipus as a Tragic Hero

    353 Words  | 1 Pages

    Before the twentieth century plays were mainly written as either a tragedy or comedy. In a tragic play the tragic hero will often do something that will eventually destroy him. In the book Oedipus the King, Oedipus is the tragic hero. In this tragic play the main character, which is portrayed as Oedipus, will do a good deed that will in turn make him a hero. This hero will reach his height of pride in the story, and in the end the action, which he had committed earlier, will return and destroy this man who was once called a hero.

    Read More

  • tragoed Comparing Tragedy in Hamlet and Oedipus the King (Oedipus Rex)

    624 Words  | 2 Pages

    Oedipus is the main character in the play Oedipus the King. Oedipus is thought of as a tragic figure because he was doomed from birth. Tiresias, an old blind prophet, told Oedipus' parents about Oedipus' fate. He told them that Oedipus would kill his father and sleep with his mother. So, his parents decided to have him killed, only it did not happen that way. He was passed off by two shepherds and finally to the King and Queen of Corinth, Polybus and Merope to raise him as their own. Oedipus finds his way back to Thebes and on the way kills his father, but Oedipus did not know that one of the men he killed was his real father. This is the beginning of the prophecy coming true. In short Oedipus obtains the throne, Marries his mother and has kids with her. Oedipus' fate has come together without him even realizing what is going on. Eventually he is told what has happened and asks to be banished by his uncle/brother-in-law Creon. The tragedy in Oedipus' life began with his birth and the realization by his parents that his whole life was doomed.

    Read More

  • Oedipus the King as a Tragedy

    536 Words  | 2 Pages

    Oedipus Rex qualifies as a tragedy. It fits all the characteristics as defined by Aristotle. The tragic hero of a play is a man of some social standing and personal reputation, but sufficiently like ourselves in terms of his weaknesses that we feel fear and pity when a tragic flaw, rather than an associate, causes his downfall. Oedipus is the tragic hero in this play for many reasons. Even though he does not know it, he fulfills the oracle's prophecy by killing his father, Laius, and then sleeping with his mother, Jocasta. His father was just a tragic mistake. Oedipus thought that the person he killed was just a random person that was harassing him.

    Read More

  • Stock Tragic Hero: Oedipus: The Stock Tragic Hero

    1427 Words  | 3 Pages

    Oedipus Rex, the ignorant king, a character created for the very purpose of being the epitome of a tragic hero. Bound and kicked out of his homeland as an infant; a force he could not control, driving his fate, taking away his free will. The character of Oedipus created by Sophocles around 430 BCE is the precedent for all tragic heroes created in the time after Oedipus’s sinful conception. Oedipus is the embodiment of a tragic hero and possess all five of the major characteristics of a tragic hero as outlined by Aristotle’s definition.

    Read More

  • Oedipus the King as a Tragic Hero

    954 Words  | 2 Pages

    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 ...

    Read More

  • Oedipus Character Analysis

    585 Words  | 2 Pages

    Oedipus is motivated by his desire to know the full truth which unfortunately leads to him learning that his terrible fate has been fulfilled and he loses everything he holds dear. In the beginning of Oedipus Rex, the audience sees that Thebes is suffering a terrible plague. Oedipus, being crowned King after his defeat of the Sphinx, desires to save his city from the plague and restore it into a place of peace and stability. Creon tells Oedipus that the oracle said that Thebes is cursed because the murderer of Laos still lives in Thebes unpunished. Oedipus is determined to find the murder of Laos and He saved Thebes once from the Sphinx and he wants to be hero of Thebes again. He could go down in history as the great Oedipus who redeemed Thebes from a plague and saved the citizens from the Sphinx. At first he thinks of himself as almost equal to the gods in greatness. Jocasta tries to calm Oedipus down, telling him that her son was prophesized to kill her husband, but the child was killed so he could not. Oedipus, however, is still haunted by his fate. As a result, he seeks out the knowledge of the blind seer Teirisius and later the knowledge of the Shepherd. However, from the information from Teirisius and the Sheperd Oedipus finds that he could not outrun his fate. He had children with his mother and had murdered Laos. John Green says, "the irony is that the one who saved Thebes is the one destroying it." Oedipus goes from being a great hero and respected king to being disgraced and condemned. All his glory and honor turns into suffering and ruin. He feels "deserted by the gods" (Sophocles 71) and is weak. This is like how Caesar goes against the warnings of his own wife, the soothsayer, and Artemidoris in order to not look we...

    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

More about As A Tragic Hero In Oedipus

Open Document