In the play Oedipus Rex, by Sophocles, Oedipus was a very great example of a tragic hero. He understood that a tragic hero should be lifelike and all should be able to relate to him in some way. " A perfect tragedy should imitate actions which excite pity and fear, this being the distinctive mark of tragic imitation" (qtd. in Sophocles, "Critical Excerpts" 109). Sophocles definitely provided a perfect tragedy by imitating these actions. From the very beginning when you realize that the Oracle of Delphi has told Oedipus that he will kill his father and marry his mother you start to get into the character. We all understand how upsetting this news would be and so we can relate to him. A tragic hero should in all accounts have these important qualities: goodness, superiority, a tragic flaw, and a tragic realization at the end. Sophacles demonstrated all these qualities numerous times throughout the play. In the following you will see how Sophacles brought about a very real and identifiable tragic hero. .
One of the first most major aspects that shows Oedipus as a tragic hero is his goodness throughout the play. Oedipus was a good person in all the aspects of his life, and because of this everyone loved and appreciated him. This was important because it helped everyone gain trust in him and in the end helped save him from death. The first way that Oedipus displayed goodness was through his actions as a son. This was obvious when you see the reason he left home and came to Thebes. Oedipus heard terrible things that the Oracle had said he left home because he loved his father and didn't want to kill him. This was shown when Oedipus told Jocasta about what the oracle had told him as follows:.
"You are fated to couple with your mother, you will bring .
a breed of children into the light no man can bear to see- .
you will kill your father, the one who gives you life!"(Sophocles 873-875).
A second way in which Oedipus showed goodness was through his ways as king.