According to Aristotle, a tragic hero is someone who creates his or her own downfall, whose fate is not deserved, and whose punishment exceeds the crime. In the play "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles, the main character Oedipus is a perfect example of Aristotle's tragic hero. In the play, three main themes are presented: destiny, sin, and guilt. Throughout Oedipus" journey of life he encounters all three themes. Although Oedipus is eventually able to overcome most of his adventures, eventually leading himself to his own downfall. .
Destiny played a vital part in the destruction of Oedipus. The destiny of Oedipus is given to his parents, who were King Laios and Queen Iokaste, by the prophecy of Apollo at Delphi. Apollo told them that Oedipus" fate was to murder his father and to marry his mother. This freighted Oedipus" parents, and caused them to cast him out of Thebes as a baby. .
When he was older, Oedipus visited the Delphi Oracle, where he learned the same terrible news. Hearing this, Oedipus fled from his new home, back to Thebes where he thought he could escape an inevitable destiny. On the journey Oedipus was confronted and harassed by a group of travelers, whom he killed in self-defense. None-the-less, one of those travelers was his real father, Laios. When he reached Thebes he heard the terrible news of the King's death. Knowing that Thebes needed a king, Oedipus married Iokaste; his real mother. No matter what Oedipus did he was not able to escape his dreadful fate. .
Throughout the drama, Oedipus committed many sins according to the gods. First of all, Oedipus is arrogant because he tried to outsmart the gods by running away from their divine will. Another sin Oedipus committed was when he unknowing married his own mother. Even though he did not know Iokaste was his mother, marrying her was a sin according to the gods because he tried to raise himself above the gods, in order to escape his destiny.
"Oedipus Rex" is a classic Greek tragedy. ... Oedipus Rex is not only the protagonist of this story, but he is also the tragic hero. ... King Oedipus fulfills all of these requirements, yet is considered a tragic hero. ... However, "Oedipus Rex" is a tragedy. ... "Oedipus Rex" is a play of destiny. ...
Under inescapable fate, the moral characters of individuals are truly exposed, separating tragic heroes from tragic characters. Oedipus Rex is a tragic hero because his attempt to escape fate, an offensive mortal sin to the gods, ultimately leads to his demise. ... Oedipus is a tragic hero because he matches all of Aristotle's criteria defining a tragic hero. ... Secondly, the nature of Oedipus" tragic flaw, or hamartia, is significant. ... Prometheus, the protagonist of "Prometheus Bound" by Sophocles marks himself as a tragic hero in a significantly different manner than Oedipus. ...
Sophocles' play Oedipus Rex allows the audience to experience pity and terror by the story of the hero brought low by a power greater than himself. ... Another part of the drama that makes it powerful is the notion of the tragic hero. ... If the hero was perfect we would be outraged with their fate or not care especially because of their ideological superiority. ... This is what makes him the tragic hero - he is able to endure and accept his fate because he knows his actions are what lead him to his doom. ... Also Sophocles uses the characteristics of a tragic hero in his main character ...
In the play Oedipus Rex, written by Sophocles, both of these characteristics can be seen in the main character. ... Oedipus Rex is seen as a tragedy. ... The tragic hero in this play is Oedipus. ... Throughout this play, characteristics of character and fate are what bring the destruction and downfall to the main character and tragic hero. ... Looking at these examples, it is seen that the tragic hero falls because of his tragic flaws, his very own actions, and his inability to change his own fate. ...
Set in the city of Thebes, Oedipus Rex begins with the cries and pains of citizens victimized by a plague. ... Oedipus was in constant competition with his fate. ... All in all, tragic heroism is a major theme and factor in the play, Oedipus Rex, according to Aristotle's definition of tragedy. It was due to his inability to take better decisions that led Oedipus to his downfall which is as to why he is a tragic hero. In, Oedipus Rex as the Ideal Tragic Hero of Aristotle, Marjorie Barstow seems to have a different interpretation as to why Oedipus fits into this theme of tragic heroism but ...
Oedipus: A True Tragic Hero In his Poetics, Aristotle defined the term "tragedy" as "a man not preeminently virtuous and just, whose misfortune, however, is brought upon him not by vice or depravity, but by some error in judgment the change in the hero's fortune must not be from misery to happiness, but on the contrary, from happiness to misery". From this definition, he further expanded it by defining the profile of the Classical Greek tragic hero, basing it on what he considered the best tragedy ever written, Sophocle's Oedipus Rex. According to Aristotle, a tragedy sho...
"Oedipus Rex" displays many characteristics of this form of literature; such as a tragic hero, a dynamic character, and the role that fate plays in the outcome of his existence. ... There are many characteristics that make up a tragedy, the most important being a tragic hero. A tragic hero is a "privileged and exalted character of high repute, who by virtue of a tragic flaw and fate, suffers a fall from glory into suffering."... Another form of literature involved in "Oedipus Rex" is the role that fate plays in the play. ... "Oedipus Rex" is a classic example of a tragedy. ...
Tragic Hero In the tragedy, Oedipus Rex, Sophocles presented Oedipus as a tragic hero. A tragic hero is a kind of sacrificial victim. ... Oedipus" tragic flaw led to his downfall and suffering. ... As the play progressed, a zealous desire to know the truth in its entirety proved to be Oedipus" tragic flaw. ... They would no longer be viewed to be suitable for marriage by any man that knew of the fate of their father. ...
Tragic Hero In the tragedy, Oedipus Rex, Sophocles presented Oedipus as a tragic hero. A tragic hero is a kind of sacrificial victim. ... Oedipus" tragic flaw led to his downfall and suffering. ... As the play progressed, a zealous desire to know the truth in its entirety proved to be Oedipus" tragic flaw. ... They would no longer be viewed to be suitable for marriage by any man that knew of the fate of their father. ...
