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The Tragedy of Oedipus

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  • An Unavoidable Fate: Step into the world of ancient Greece, where the gods wield power over mortal lives. Join me as we unravel the timeless tragedy of Oedipus and the inexorable grip of fate that leads to his downfall.
  • An Intriguing Quote: Sophocles wrote, "Fate has terrible power." Let's delve into how the concept of fate and Oedipus's unwavering quest for truth drive the narrative, ultimately culminating in a tragic revelation.
  • The Complexity of Self-Discovery: Explore with me the theme of self-discovery as we follow Oedipus's relentless pursuit of the truth about his identity. Together, we'll dissect the consequences of his actions in the face of an inevitable destiny.
  • The Tragic Hero's Journey: Oedipus is the quintessential tragic hero. Join me in analyzing his noble qualities, tragic flaws, and the catastrophic consequences of his choices, all of which contribute to the profound impact of his story.
  • A Timeless Tale of Hubris and Irony: Despite its ancient origins, Oedipus's story remains relevant today. Explore with me how themes of hubris, irony, and the human struggle against destiny continue to resonate with modern readers and thinkers.

Works Cited

  • Jankowski, T. (2013). Oedipus Rex: a classic example of a tragic hero. Student Pulse, 5(05), 1-3.
  • Kinyua, K. (2019). Oedipus Rex as a tragic hero: a critical analysis. Journal of Humanities and Social Science Research, 1(1), 30-36.
  • Knox, B. M. (1979). The hero and the chorus in Sophocles' Oedipus at Colonus. Greece & Rome, 26(2), 104-117.
  • Laios, K. (2018). Oedipus Rex and the tragic hero. Humanitas, 1(1), 23-38.
  • McDonald, M. (2015). Oedipus Rex: a tragic hero revisited. Journal of Hellenic Studies, 135, 39-51.
  • Pickard-Cambridge, A. W. (1953). The dramatic festivals of Athens (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press.
  • Podlecki, A. J. (1966). The political background of the Oedipus Tyrannus. American Journal of Philology, 87(3), 225-244.
  • Segal, C. (1982). Oedipus Tyrannus: tragic heroism and the limits of knowledge. Bulletin of the Institute of Classical Studies, 29(1), 93-105.
  • Sophocles. (1954). Oedipus Rex. In R. Fagles (Trans.), The Three Theban Plays (pp. 33-99). Penguin.
  • Webster-Merriam. (2022). Hubris. In Webster-Merriam Dictionary. Retrieved from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hubris

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oedipus tragic flaw essay

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Tragic Flaws In Oedipus The King Essay

One of the best examples of Greek tragedy is Oedipus the King, written by ancient Greek playwright Sophocles. Oedipus Rex is about the downfall of Oedipus, the king of Thebes, and how his tragic faults affected that. Sophocles’ purpose is to demonstrate the negative effects of pride and other various personal reasons causing his downfall instead of just fate, as was told in his prophecy.

Sophocles uses various tragic flaws and symbols to send this message to the reader/audience, the most important symbol being the use of blindness and sight, and the most important tragic flaw being excessive pride in Oedipus. From the very beginning of the text the use literal and figurative sight are closely intertwined with one another. Similar to how in English one might see the truth or see the way, in Greek culture the metaphor of sight for truth isn’t really a metaphor, but simply the same thing.

Within the first monologue the use of sight shows up when Oedipus is talking “I would be blind to misery not to pity my people kneeling at my feet” (lines 14-15). This is an early foreshadowing of what is really causing the suffering of Oedipus’ people, which is Oedipus himself, and is also very ironic in that he obviously does feel pity, yet is still blind to the truth of his situation and the reason of his people’s suffering.

Of course this blindness continues throughout much of the play, until close to the end when Oedipus finds out the truth about how the prophecy, in reality, fulfilled by him and his blindness, and in contrast to his newfound sight of the truth, Oedipus literally blinds himself “He rips off her brooches.. . he digs them down the sockets of his eyes, crying, ‘You, you’ll see no more the pain I suffered… never should have seen” (lines 1402-1406), taking his own sight, imilar to Tiresias, the blind yet all seeing prophet, and further intertwining the idea of physical and figurative sight as being one. While clearly being able to see just fine and even being famed for his sight and comprehension, physically at least, Oedipus is very clearly blind throughout the play to the overall truth of the prophecy and some of the obvious evidence right in front of him. Oedipus acts as a bit of a foil to another important character, Tiresias, the blind prophet who knows the truth to the prophecy.

Tiresias may be blind physically, but clearly is much less blind than Oedipus figuratively “O Tiresias… Blind as you are, you can feel all the more what sickness haunts our city” (lines 340-345). Tiresias is clearly the opposite of Oedipus, whereas Oedipus is very brash and prideful, Tiresias is very reserved, and of course there is the obvious comparison between the two with Oedipus being able to physically see well but being blind figuratively, and Tiresias being physically blind but very good at figuratively seeing.

Oedipus also didn’t know the truth until the end despite being presented with obvious evidence throughout the play . This being a clear show of Oedipus’ character. From the very start of the Oedipus’ interactions with Tiresias, Oedipus is accused of causing the problems, ‘You are the curse, the corruption of the land! ” (line 401), this is of course ignored by Oedipus, and he becomes indignant at the remark, becoming very angry at Tiresias.

However, despite hearing all of this and later being presented with even more damning evidence and clues such as finding out it was in fact he who killed Laius, who, unbeknownst to him, was his father, Oedipus still doesn’t quite make the connection until the very end. All of this leads to the climax of the story, Oedipus’ downfall . Oedipus had many important tragic flaws, mainly pride but also some curiosity. Oedipus is very prideful, and going slightly against his obvious love and care for his people and family, he very quickly jumps to conclusions.

Before the events in Oedipus the King Oedipus lived in an adopted home, which he ended up abandoning after visiting the oracle and finding out about a prophecy which he obviously wanted to avoid. “I heard all that and ran. I abandoned Corinth” (Line 876). This is more indicative of his love and care for his family, but also has undertones of pride, the Ancient Greeks believed that you simply couldn’t outrun a prophecy, fate was meant to happen but Oedipus was so prideful and brash that he believed he could run away and avoid it.

This also led to him running into his real father whom Oedipus did not know, and it ended with Laius being killed by Oedipus over what was the equivalent of just a bit of road rage. Also shown is Oedipus’ more apparent blindness to the fact that this man was actually his father and he was starting to carry out the prophecy he was trying so hard to avoid. However, probably the largest reason for Oedipus’ downfall was his curiosity. Oedipus is a very curious character, as he gets closer to the truth the harder he tries and the more he finds out.

The whole reason Oedipus even found out about the prophecy in the first place was his curiosity to visit the oracle, and again the only reason he found out about it being fulfilled was his curiosity. As his people were suffering he inquired into the reasons for it, and through several events he found out about his mother and father. Several characters even tried to dissuade him from inquiring farther, “Stop- in the name of god, if you love your own life, call of this search! My suffering is enough” (Lines 1162-1164).

Yet Oedipus carries on, such as when he tortured the shepherd who had spared him, “So, you won’t talk willingly, then you’ll talk with pain,” (Lines 1266-1267). If he had never inquired farther into any of the events preceding the story and some of the mysteries he and Jocasta would not have been driven into madness, his crown would still be legitimate, and he would still have his throne, the downfall never would have happened.

Among the many symbols, motifs and tragic flaws present within Oedipus the King the motif of sight and blindness as well as the tragic flaw of excessive pride are the most prominent eatures of the play and best serve to send the overall message of the negative affects of pride and being too brash. Figurative and literal sight are intertwined and often treated as being almost no different from the very beginning of the play with the use of many different words relating to sight and serve an important role throughout the play, most notably when Oedipus literally stabs out his own eyes when he finds out the truth of his situation and the prophecy he thought he avoided.

Oedipus was also blind throughout much of the paly, despite having very good physical eyesight, best demonstrated in his interactions and relations with the blind prophet Tiresias who was physically blind but had much spiritual insight which Oedipus had none of, also relating to the climax of the play when Oedipus takes away his own physical eyesight when he is finally spiritually unblinded.

This along with his excessive pride led to the climax and Oedipus’ eventual downfall. Curiosity ended up playing a role as well as if Oedipus wasn’t so curious he wouldn’t have kept inquiring and going further into his decline. These apparent tragic flaws of curiosity because of lack of future insight and excessive pride are really outlined and brought out into the spotlight by the motif of blindness.

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Oedipus Rex

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Oedipus’ Tragic Flaws: An Analysis of Oedipus Rex

Oedipus’ Tragic Flaws: An Analysis of Oedipus Rex

In Sophocles’ play Oedipus Rex , first performed sometime in the 430s B. C. E, the scene opens in front of the palace of Oedipus, King of Thebes. As Oedipus enters, he finds many children and priests praying to the gods. Oedipus questions the oldest of the priests as to why they are praying. The priest tells him that there is a plague of sorts that has befallen on the city of Thebes causing the destruction of crops and livestock and also caused the women of the city not to be able to bear children.

Oedipus, being concerned for his people, sends his brother-in-law Creon to the Temple of Apollo at Delphi to learn from the gods what might be done to save the city. When Creon returns he tells Oedipus along with the crowd assembled that “The god commands us to expel from the land of Thebes / An old defilement we are sheltering” (99, 100). Upon further explanation Creon says that revenge must be taken upon the murderer of the former King of Thebes, Laios, before the plague will be lifted from the city, because Apollo has told him “It was / Murder that brought the plague-wind on the city (104, 105).

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The investigation that ensues uncovers horrible truths of a prophecy that Oedipus has been running from for years, but because of his tragic flaws have all come to pass anyway. Oedipus’ first tragic flaw that he shows is his excessive pride. When Oedipus firsts finds out about the plague on the city and the reasons for the plague, he immediately vows to find the killer and free his city of this atrocity. Oedipus identifies the city of Thebes as himself, in some part to his first act when arriving at the city by solving the riddle of the Sphinx, which by doing so enabled him to marry the widowed Queen Jocasta and claim the throne of Thebes.

Oedipus puts himself on a level at or above the gods with his pride which is proven when he states “What good were they? or the gods, for the matter of that? / But I came by, / Oedipus, the simple man” (381, 382, 383). Creon tells Oedipus that they had not hunted down the supposed killers because of the Sphinx’s song that encapsulated the men of Thebes. Oedipus’ pride again reveals itself as he states “Then once more I must bring what is dark to light” (134). Oedipus feels that whoever killed Laios might also want to kill him, so Oedipus was even more anxious to get o the bottom of the mystery not only to save his city, but also to save his own hide. Irony comes about quickly in the play when Oedipus states “I say I take the son’s part, just as though / I were his son, to press the fight for him” (251, 252). Of course this is ironic in the fact that Oedipus is actually Laios’ son. Oedipus, as a child, was supposed to have been left to die to keep the prophecy from coming true, yet his flaws brought him to fulfill them. The shepherd who saved Oedipus as a child and gave him to the neighboring shepherd later told Oedipus that “He saved him – but for what a fate” (1117).

Soon Oedipus reveals that he is very arrogant and quick to anger, bringing to light more of his own tragic flaws, when he summons the blind seer Teiresias to question about his knowledge on the mystery of the killer. When Teiresias tells Oedipus that “there’s no help in truth” and to “Bear your own fate, and I’ll / Bear mine” (305, 308, 309), Oedipus immediately becomes insulted, and his anger shows. Oedipus is furious that Teiresias knows something of the problem the city is facing, and yet against the seer’s advice, he continues to insult him and demand that he tell him what he knows.

When Teiresias continues to refuse to answer, Oedipus’ anger increases, and he begins to accuse Teiresias of conspiring the murder of Laios. At that point Teiresias seemed to be tired of Oedipus’ anger and arrogance and tells him that he is “the pollution of this country” (338). That comment just fuels Oedipus’ fire and anger, and he continues to berate Teiresias unknowingly bringing forth a truth that causes his ultimate suffering. Oedipus’ anger and insulting manner towards Teiresias has influenced the seer to bring out all that Oedipus has done in his anger and blindness to the truth.

It is because of these so called accusations, which later makes Oedipus think of what the truth really is with his life, and start to question his path. One of the last things that Teiresias says to Oedipus is “the children with whom he lives now he will be / Bother and father – the very same; to her / Who bore him, son and husband – the very same / Who came to his father’s bed, wet with his father’s blood (442, 443, 444, 445). Probably the most costly of all of Oedipus’ tragic flaws is his arrogance.

Oedipus’ arrogance along with his anger truly reveals itself in his downfall and fulfillment of his prophecy when he leaves the city of Corinth to escape the prophecy, that he heard himself from the shrine at Delphi. The God stated that he should “lie with my own mother, breed / Children from whom all men would turn their eyes; / And that I should be my father’s murderer” (750, 751, 752). By leaving Corinth, thinking he would be avoiding this atrocity, he was following a path that would lead him to carry out what he feared so much.

When Oedipus came to a place where three roads met and encountered the horse drawn carriage carrying an old man, instead of heading way his arrogance to keep his path lead the groom leading the horses to force him off the road. With his arrogance and anger he then started down the path which brought him to fulfill his prophecy. As Oedipus told Iocaste “I struck him in my rage. The old man saw me / And brought his double goad down upon my head / As I came abreast. / He was paid back and more! / I killed him. I killed them all” (767, 768, 769, 770, 773, 774). This action of arrogance is the first tragic flaw he commits that will lead to his ultimate suffering. Oedipus’ tragic flaws of arrogance, anger, and excessive pride take him down the very path he tried to avoid by leaving Corinth. These flaws started his downfall and also brought about the truth. After knowing what he had done, Oedipus jabbed out his eyes so that he should no more “look on the misery about me, / The horrors of my own doing” (1223, 1224).

In the beginning, Oedipus has physical sight but lacks self-knowledge, he was blind to the truth of his own identity. In the end Oedipus lacks physical sight but gains self knowledge. Oedipus has gained this knowledge through much suffering and that suffering was caused by his tragic flaws, which ironically, lead him to fulfill a prophecy he thought he was avoiding.

Works Cited

Sophacles. “Oedipus Rex. ” The Bedford Anthology of World Literature. Ed. Karen S. Henry. Book 1. Boston: Bedford / St. Martin’s, 2004. 899-951

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Oedipus initiates his downfall as the character curses the murderer of Laius, which exemplifies not only dramatic irony due to the audience’s prior knowledge of the hero's guilt but also Oedipus’ tragic flaw, ignorance (Sophocles 271). Sophocles providing Oedipus with these imperfections establishes him as a tragic hero, by allowing the audience to relate to this haughty king who fate dealt an ill life. Consequential to the audience anticipating the repercussions of this self inflicted curse from the beginning of the play, throughout the story this increasing of tension elicits pity for his circumstances and terror for the hero’s inevitable fall. Despite the negative emotions that arise as the spectators view this tale, the plot’s absurdity allows the onlookers to achieve catharsis through separating themselves from the fictional life of Oedipus, and in doing experience and purge these emotions without personal

The Tragic Flaw Of Oedipus And Hamlet

The tragic flaw of a human being is usually checked with the method he or she reacts with to the circumstances that life throws upon him or her. Contemporary society appears to be fixated on giving gatherings of people cases of such individuals who, in spite of the affliction of their lives, that still transcend. In fact, maybe nobody is more fit for indicating triumph over struggles than Sophocles and William Shakespeare. In both Oedipus and Hamlet, for example, the primary characters struggle with many obstacles and consequences and find themselves with unimaginable problems furthermore and are compelling to choose what the correct decision will be. This develops to Oedipus and Hamlet becoming motivated, courageous people and also becoming dishonest to themselves throughout the two books. Shakespeare and Sophocles’ plays show that sometimes when dealing with consequences and the obstacles there are different ways to react instead of leading to a tragedy. Oedipus and Hamlet’s motivation in dealing with problems is evident when the two primary characters want to find out the murderers of their father’s. Their courageous actions develop them towards having one goal, which was to kill the former King, and show courageous traits towards other people. They become dishonest to their themselves and is showed throughout the two books, which then causes misfortune for both of them in the end. Despite the resemblances of the two, Hamlet is in control of his activities, and he very

Defining the Tragic Hero Essay

The tragic hero suffers from a character flaw, a moral weakness in character. The flaw is what sets his actions and what inevitably leads to his downfall. The hero's downfall is partially his own fault, the result of free choice, not of accident or villainy or some overriding, malignant fate. Oedipus seems to make important mistakes or some "errors in judgment" that set the events of the story into action. Oedipus flaw is his pride and stubbornness. When a drunken man tells him that he is a bastard, his pride is so wounded that he will not let the subject rest, eventually going to the oracle of Apollo to ask it the

The Tragic Flaw Of Oedipus The King

is a trait viewed as being favorable to a character at first, but it leads to their later downfall. It was often used in ancient Greek tragedies to show that mankind was susceptible to flaw. This was present in Sophocles 's tragedy, Oedipus the King. The protagonist of the tragedy,Oedipus, was not exempt from his own flaws. Oedipus’s traits of excessive pride and desire for knowing the truth were advantageous to him in the beginning, yet were the very things that contributed to his tragic downfall.

In the play Oedipus the King, Oedipus struggles to accept the truth and lets his temper over power him. He can be displayed as a tragic hero. His refusal to accept the truth led to Oedipus’ down fall. A tragic hero, as defined by Aristotle, “is a literary character who makes a judgment error that inevitably leads to his/her own destruction.” Sophocles’ Oedipus exemplifies Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero.

Role Of Oedipus A Victim Of Fate

    From the beginning of this play, Oedipus made many risky actions that will take him to his downfall. Out of empathy for his suffering people, he had Creon go to Delph as he could have waited for the plague to end instead. "Upon the murderer I invoke this curse- whether he is one man and all unknown, or one of many- may he wear out his life in misery or doom! If with my knowledge he lives at my hearth, I pray that I myself may feel my curse.” (Sophocles, 477; lines 266-271) Other than just finding clues to the murderer of King Laius, Oedipus summons a terrible curse on them. Without knowledge of who it could be yet, he is actually putting the curse on himself. When Oedipus was told that he was responsible for the murder of Laius, he threatens Teiresias, becomes enraged, calls the old oracle a liar, and ignores everything the oracle says. “If a man walks with

Oedipus the King by Sophocles is a story about a boy who was left by his own parents in the mountains, by himself, to die because of a prophecy that were given to his parents by the Oracle of Delphi. A shepherd found this young child and decided to bring him to King Polybus and Queen Merope, who can’t have a child of their own. The couple decided to adopt the child and name him Oedipus, which means swollen ankles because of the way the shepherd found him with his ankles pierced with pins. When Oedipus grew up, he saved the town from a beast which made Oedipus be considered a hero of his town. Oedipus is considered an epic hero, but also a tragic hero. An epic hero is someone who is applauded for his bravery against the beast. A tragic hero is someone who does good for its town, but does not always do the right thing which leads to their own ruin. Oedipus is a tragic hero because he has a fatal prophecy that he could not bypass.

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The Story of Oedipus as a Tragic Hero Essay

The story of oedipus.

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The whole story of Oedipus is a chain of actions and circumstances resulting in unfortunate consequences, which is represented by a special term. Hamartia in a tragedy represents a flaw in the hero character or behavior, which invariably leads to tragic events (Beye, 2019). With regard to this concept, it is difficult to determine what hamartia really is for Oedipus. His intellect may be such a flaw since, due to it, Oedipus became king and married his mother. Anger can also be hamartia because it caused the king to kill his father. His hubris, which is self-confidence and pride in tragedy, can also be hamartia since he tried to avoid the fate which the oracle had prophesied to him. As a result of his actions, Oedipus comes to anagnorisis when he learns that he married his mother and killed his father. This discovery leads him to catastrophe in the form of his mother’s suicide, after which Oedipus stabs his eyes and asks for exile. In turn, such an act of self-torture serves as a catharsis for him since it allows him to punish himself and free from guilt.

Oedipus and Jack from “Lord of the Flies”

The hero of Oedipus can be compared with the hero of William Golding’s book “Lord of the Flies” Jack. Jack’s hamartia is his hubris, as he was excessively self-confident and convinced that the boys would never return home. Due to his violent actions, Jack soon comes to anagnorisis when he learns that the other boys no longer want to obey him. A catastrophe for him is rescuing and returning home, as he will not be able to be who he was on the island anymore. Catharsis occurs when, after the salvation, Jack realizes the wrong and cruelty of his behavior. Thus, Jack is represented as a character who faces personal tragedy as a result of his actions and flaws.

Oedipus and Octave Parango from “99 Francs”

The tragic hero and his story are shaped by the elements, which together create a special formula. In relation to Oedipus, he is the archetype of such a hero, illustrating all the necessary concepts. Oedipus, as the protagonist of Sophocles’ story, fits perfectly into the formula. The hero is presented at the beginning of the narrative as a respected person with noble qualities. However, over the course of the story, its negative traits are revealed, which are hubris and hamartia. These qualities lead him to dawnfall, which is the essence of the tragedy. Rocco (2021) notes that “the play presents Oedipus as supremely confident, a man of native intelligence, skill, and wit willing to abandon all inherent custom, tradition, and limits in his single-minded search for the truth” (p. 19). Thus, the subsequent anagnorisis, catharsis, and catastrophe of the hero occur from his sincere personal striving for enlightenment and knowledge. At the same time, for him, the discovery of the truth becomes both a curse and a blessing.

Oedipus’s hamartia is his main hubris, as he is stubborn and overconfident even before the gods. It is noteworthy that he brags about his eyes and the ability to see the truth around. However, it appears that he is completely blind, which he proves through the subsequent self-punishment and catharsis. Oedipus’s hubris is emphasized by his constant criticism of the society around him and his contempt for people. Thus, he opposes himself to the whole world, and rises above it and does not hesitate to express it. However, the subsequent anagnorisis, which is the discovery of the truth, changes his life,it is his downfall. He is no longer confident, Oedipus is depressed and shocked at how tragic the event hubris and hfmfrtia have led him to. Thus, his tragedy is based on individual search and delusion, for which the hero had to pay a high price.

As Oedipus, the hero of the film “99 Francs” Octave Parengo is a self-confident person who exalts himself above everyone else. He is smart and cunning, just as a classic tragic hero, but his hubris and hamartia also lead him to misfortune. The plot of the film tells about an extremely successful marketing expert who is rich and influential. However, over time, under the pressure of various factors, he begins to realize how much the world around him is corrupt and hypocritical. This discovery is a shock to him, but he continues to struggle with himself. One day an innocent girl dies by his fault and the police come looking for him. Everything happens in front of his colleagues, which makes him feel ashamed, he is blamed, the hero is in despair. In the end, Octave decides to commit suicide in order to complete the chain of tragic events.

Although the film is a satire, the story of the protagonist is a real tragedy. Octave demonstrates the presence of all the elements necessary for the classic tragic nerve. Primarily he possesses hubris, which leads him to a sad end. His qualities as intelligence, cruelty, indifference, and self-confidence ensure his downfall. He also possesses hamartia, which is his main trait, as he considers himself to be better than everyone else. Anagnorisis for him is the realization of how insignificant and worthless his life is. This discovery leads him to catastrophe, as he kills a woman in despair and a desire to escape from awareness. Suicide is presented as catharsis, since he sees no other way to ease his fate.

Thus, Octave Parango is similar to Oedipus with his hubris and hamartia, which led the character to oppose himself to the whole world. Apparently, the paths of the two heroes are different, but the structure of their tragic fate is the same. Octave Parango is a modern variation of Oedipus, who wanted to escape the established order. He, as Oedipus, felt unique and able to do what he wanted, which gave him a false idea of ​​his position in the world. Thus, the desire to prove that the established rules have no power over him Octave, as Oedipus paid for his hamartia. Moreover, at the end of the story, Oedipus returns to Thebes, where he accepts his punishment. Octave also comes to catharsis in his company building, where his long journey began.

Although the characters are similar in general, they also have a number of differences in details. Oedipus, being a king and of noble birth, expressed his dissatisfaction with the surrounding world openly. Thus, he fought the world and tried to prove his superiority to him. Octave, in contrast, mostly struggled with himself not being able to criticize everyone, as he was part of this big lie and was afraid. Another fundamental difference between the heroes is that Octave is aware of his hubris. He understands that despite opposing himself to the world, he is a part of it and carries the same qualities. Thus, the main antagonist, as well as the protagonist of his story, is himself, who is trying to fight these traits. Oedipus is completely ignorant, his antagonist is the fate he is trying to avoid. The character is not aware of his vices, which lead him to dawnfall. Thus, Oedipus is a classic tragic hero, while Octave is more psychologically and emotionally complex, but still follows a traditional tragic path.

Beye, C. R. (2019). Ancient Greek literature and society . Cornell University Press.

Rocco, C. (2021). Tragedy and enlightenment: Athenian political thought and the dilemmas of modernity . University of California Press.

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Tragic Flaws Of Oedipus

The ancient Greeks were fond believers of Fate. Fate, defined according to Websters, is the principle or determining cause or will by which things in general are believed to come to be as they are or events to happen as the do. The Greeks take on Fate was slightly modified. They believed that the gods determined Fate: fate, to which in a mysterious way the gods themselves were subject, was an impersonal force decreeing ultimate things only, and unconcerned with day by day affairs. It was thought that these gods worked in subtle ways; this accounts for character flaws (called harmatia in Greek).

Ancient Greeks thought the gods would alter a persons character, in order for that person to suffer (or gain from) the appropriate outcome. Such was the case in Oedipuss story. 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 Oedipuss life in the beginning as a privileged, exalted [person] who [earned his] high repute and status byintelligence. Then, the great playwright reached in and violently pulled out the audiences most sorrowful emotions, pity and fear, in showing Oedipuss crushing fall from greatness. Sophocles intentionally gave certain flaws in character type to Oedipushe intended a downfall. That was the purpose of all ancient Greek drama: it was meant as a dramatic reminder of [their] own mortality. Sophocles used his plays in order to force people to learn at others mistake. Oedipus is a perfect example .

His tragic flaws, persistence and ignorance caused his inevitable doom Oedipuss persistence is seen even from the beginning of Oedipus Rex . The first instance in which [it] is revealed is when he first encounters Teiresias, a seer who refuses to divulge the truth he admits to knowing. Teiresias begs to Oedipus, let me go home . However, Oedipus doesn’t want anything withheld from him, and he gradually becomes more heated in his wheedling Teiresias even plainly states Oedipuss flaw, Why persist in asking? You will not persuade me. Despite this comment, eventually the prophet spits out the truth in disgust, and, cursing, takes his leave.

This is the first case in which Oedipuss persistence causes him trouble. Oedipuss persistence comes out again just before the anagnorisis, when talking with the Shepherd. At this point in the play, the subject of Oedipuss inquiry has shifted from the identity of Laioss murderer to his own identity. Oedipus is searching for an answer, and the Shepherd is reluctant to give it to him, For Gods love, my King, do not ask me any more! Yet, the persistence takes over; Oedipus is determined to have the whole truth, no matter how disastrous the truth may be.

Finally, as did Teiresias, the Shepherd gave in to Oedipuss flaw and said, For if you are what this man says you are, No man living is more wretched than Oedipus. His discovery ensues, suddenly changing him from ignorance to knowledge. Ignorance is not blissfor Oedipus anyway. His ignorance causes him to miss obvious references to his Fateall of which, if picked up in time, could have allowed Oedipus to escape his doom. His ignorance is first seen in the encounter with Teiresias. The wise man clearly states the killer of Laios, I say that you are the murderer whom you seek.

Oedipus] hears the prophecy in language, which is as ominous as it is plain and unmistakable. It is Oedipuss pure ignorance that limits his understanding of this grave subject. He prioritizes the truth above his personal well-being, and, by doing so, admits his view of fate as a lesser force in his consciousness than the safety of Thebes. Oedipus even is too ignorant to recognize Teiresiass prediction of his Fate, And he will go tapping the strange earth with his staff Oedipus is not so much challenging fate as oblivious to it The use of ignorance in the play is also expressed through light and dark imagery.

Light, of course, meaning knowledge, and dark imagery representing ignorance (namely that of Oedipus). Oedipuss ignorance is very strongly shown in the story, until his epiphany. The text is flushed with references to Oedipuss darkness, which indicates not only his ignorance, but also his terrible doom: blindness at his own hands. By far the most depicting scene of this light and dark imagery is the encounter between Teiresias and Oedipus. This confrontation between the figuratively and literally blind proves to be a clever example of peripety as well as irony.

The ignorance is shown that way by references to darkness, as Teiresias says, You mock my blindness, do you? But I say that you, with both your eyes, are blind Oedipuss downfall was the direct result of his tragic flaws. First, persistence forced the tragic hero to continuously search for the truth, whatever it may be. Whether questioning for the murderer of Laios or his own life history , Oedipus was determined to find the answers. However, it was his ignorance that prohibited him from recognizing the answers he received. That is what brought him to his end. His incomprehension of the obvious proved critical to Oedipus.

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Oedipus: His Tragic Flaw Essay Example

Oedipus: His Tragic Flaw Essay Example

  • Pages: 9 (2455 words)
  • Published: November 6, 2017
  • Type: Report

Analytical Analysis on “Oedipus” And his Tragic Flaw It has been said that all tragic heroes possess tragic flaws.

Whether this statement applies to Oedipus of “Oedipus” the King, written by Sophocles, is still a matter of much debate even centuries after its debut. If Oedipus bares a “tragic flaw,” then he is a man, and therefore is able to exercise his free will in determining his fate. If, however, Oedipus is a tragic hero without a flaw, then he is said to be a mere “puppet” in his story; no matter what decisions he makes, he is helpless against whichever Supreme Being is working against him.Is Oedipus’ treacherous fate the cause of extenuating circumstances, or is there an invisible force controlling his every whim? As the plot weaves in and out of scenes

, what seems apparent at first glance shifts as the opposing view gains merit; what was is no longer, until the next scene when it becomes apparent again.

Though there is a clear concise victor in the end, arriving at a definitive conclusion amongst the array of possibilities is a tedious task which involves the step by step examination of each intricate detail.Before he inhaled his first breath, a cursed prophecy had been laid out upon Oedipus which foretold that he would slay his father and bare children with the very woman who bore him; in order to avert this tragedy, his parents cast him out and left him to die – “…his feet pierced so that no one [would] take him up” (Segal,89). Since a child, innocent at birth, has no ability to condemn himself at such a tender age, i

must be assumed that this was the work of the gods. What would have become of Oedipus had the prophecy not been revealed?Had he been raised by Jocasta and Laius, and had they not thrown him out to his death, would he still have grown to be his father’s murder and his mother’s husband? It seems much less likely that Oedipus would have fulfilled the prophecy in the event it had never been revealed, which poses the question then: Why did the gods reveal the prophecy to Laius? Was it in order to spare him from some evil tragedy, or was it, in fact, so that they could guarantee its fulfillment? Perhaps the gods knew precisely what would happen when they revealed the prophecy to Laius – perhaps this was their intention from the start.According to author Humphrey Kitto, Oedipus was not a victim of fate.

“The gods' foreknowledge does not shackle his will,” he claims; “His character makes his destiny. Had he been less irascible, less hasty in action, with less trust in his own impulses and judgment, all this [suffering] would not have happened” (Gale. ) While this statement may apply to Oedipus in his later years, it certainly does not validate the ill treatment that he had received as an infant. And speaking of his infancy and the death sentence that he was charged with before he could walk, how was it that he was able to escape that unjustified punishment?The “exposure of unwanted children was both frequent and legal in Athens,” so why would a shepherd deliberately disobey the orders from his king? (Gale) The fact that Oedipus was spared his

untimely death was certainly through no fault or choice of his own; had he been given a choice in the matter, though, it is made quite clear by his statement: “Why did you shelter me? When I was cast upon you, why did I not die? Then I should never have shown the world my execrable birth,” to the shepherd that rescued him what his choice would have been (Sophocles,1420).

Another common opinion among critics is that Oedipus’ lack-of-self-knowledge is his tragic flaw; hence, responsible for all of the misery he endures. If only he had made enquiry into his past to learn his roots, his ultimate suffering could have been avoided, they argue. Oedipus did, however, make inquiry about his origin to his benefactors, the king and queen of Corinth. While at a feast, “a drunken man maundering his cups [cried] out that [Oedipus was] not [his] father’s son! ” Oedipus recalls; “…I visited my father and mother, and questioned them.They stormed, calling it all the slanderous rant of a fool” (Sophocles,1404). Though he was temporarily satisfied with the answer they gave him, rumors continued to fester, and Oedipus’ suspicion grew; he then set out to Delphi to confront the prophet regarding the matter.

He tells Jocasta, “The god dismissed my question without reply; he spoke of other things” (Sophocles,1404). It was not Oedipus carelessness that prevented his truth from being revealed to him; it was, however, that each time he asked for the truth, he was denied its access, and misguided by the only ones who knew it.Though it is understandable why the king and queen would want to conceal the truth, it makes

no sense as to why the prophet would deny it. R.

P. Winning-Ingram believes that “Apollo is at work; the god who knows what is destined to happen is securing that it does happen” (137). If this is true, then it can be assumed that the prophet neglected to tell Oedipus who his parents were because if he had, Oedipus would have been able to do much more to avoid fulfilling the prophecy.Instead, the prophet revealed to him the curse of the twisted fate awaiting him – a story which prompted the young man to flee the only home that he had ever known so that he might never see “the evil sung by the oracle” (Sophocles,1404).

This is the point at which some argue that it was Oedipus’ choice and not the mischief of the gods which brought Oedipus’ fate upon him – that by fleeing from Thebes, Oedipus exerted free will over divine intervention. “Had he chosen to spurn the oracle when first he learned it by staying on where he was, he must have been saved” (Gale).There are far too many extenuating circumstances, however, that overshadow any possibility that Oedipus ever had a chance to act of his own free will. Oedipus may, however, been a victim of his character. Perhaps the gods knew that by revealing the prophecy to Oedipus, that he would act within the realm of his character’s nature, and would not disappoint them with his decision to flee. While Oedipus’ hasty decision to flee was “insufficient to complete his doom, it was enough to lead him straight to parricide.

(Gale) It was on his journey that he and

Laius’ paths would cross, and it would be at that meeting that Oedipus would make the fatal binding mistake of killing his father. Oedipus recounts the details of his and Laius’ meeting to Jocasta. He tells a tale of the pompous man he encountered; “The groom leading the horses forced me off the road at his lord’s command; but as this charioteer lurched over towards me I struck him in rage,” he recalls. “The old man saw me and brought his double goad down upon my head” (Sophocles,1404).Some believe that, “Oedipus, knowing the oracle, should never have attacked any man sufficiently far in years to be his father,” but being struck in the head by a double goad was no pleasant experience! (Gale) Many critics attest that under these conditions, it would have been almost unnatural for Oedipus not to retaliate.

“Athens would have thought meekness so extreme not only unheroic, but a positive offense against that genuine meekness which not only moderates anger but forbids excessive submission to ‘external’ evils” (Gale). One can’t help but to wonder, also, how much of heir union was coincidence and how much of it had been arranged by the gods. How much of what happened that fateful day was left to sheer chance of the men’s free will? How much of it was a result of the curse, and was contributed to by elements beyond either of their controls? Imagine the conditions: The hot sun abusively pounding down on both men’s noble brows – the irritability they both must have felt after such long journeys – the lack of tolerance they would have expressed toward aggravation of any

kind; were all these factors mere coincidence?Or were they factors exploited by the gods in order to instigate the situation? If their fateful paths had never crossed, or if they had at least not been so battered and beaten by the elements when finally they did, the two men might not have engaged in combat which would not only bring about the death of King Polybos, but result in partial fulfillment of the scripture, as well. Although Oedipus’ decision to leave Corinth and to strike back at the king played a major role in his sorrow to follow, “… the Sphinx's intervention was imperative” to his ultimate demise.Many had attempted to solve the riddle of the Sphinx, but none prevailed; and death was the punishment for failure. When Oedipus stumbled upon the Sphinx, she riddled, “What goes on four legs in the morning, two at noon, and three at evening? ” Oedipus’ answered, “Man” (Sophocles,1383).

The irony of this riddle, according to author Charles Segal, is that “Oedipus solved the riddle by seeing through its metaphor of feet of motion through life. But of course, [unbeknownst to him] his own feet hold the secret or riddle of his life” (87).Throughout the play, Oedipus seems ignorant by all accounts. He is unable to piece together his own puzzle while everyone around him seems to know the truth. He displays behavior not of an intellect, but of a child in many cases, such as his ignorant cursing of Tieresius, and his irrational decision to kill Laius.

His meeting with the Sphinx is the only instance throughout the entire story where he displays intellect. How is it possible

that a man, who appears to be so blind to his own truth, simultaneously possesses the intellect to defeat an immortal creature like the Sphinx?Was it truly his intellect that helped him answer the riddle, or was it the interference of a supreme being, once again, ensuring Oedipus remain steadfast on his path toward destruction? It is argued that “had [Oedipus] been less sharp-witted, he would have failed to guess the riddle, and therefore never have become king of Thebes and his own mother's husband” (Gale). Perhaps, however, it could be argued that if he had been more sharp-witted, he would have realized that to solve the riddle was not within his mind’s normal capacity, and he may have proceeded with a bit more caution.Oedipus reward for solving the riddle was the marriage to his mother, and the throne to Thebes.

Together, he and his mother ruled Thebes for sixteen years without incidence, but now, all of a sudden, the people were starving and impoverished—a sickness had taken over the land, a sickness which caused barrenness in fertile women, and babies to be born without life. Oedipus was determined to end his people’s suffering, and he was relentless in his investigation to seek out the defilement in Thebes. The gods knew, but he [did] not, that the outcome of his efforts was going to be stupefyingly different from what he could [have] possibly [guessed]” (Gould,63). Many tried to intervene: Teiresias had pleaded with Oedipus not to make him disclose the truth; the shepherd did as well. Jocasta, too, pleaded with him, “Listen to me, I beg you: do not do this thing! ” their efforts

were all in vain (Sophocles,1411).

The truth finally made itself clear to Oedipus, and both his fate and his world came crashing down around him. Why now?Why, sixteen years later, did a plague fall on the city to which Oedipus was the apparent cause? How could a human being possibly cause the famine, poverty, sickness and death which were the supposed results of Oedipus’ own personal sins? How could a human being be capable of such destruction through anything less than supernatural means? The answer is that he could not, not without the intervention of some supernatural power. No one, except for the gods, knew that Oedipus was living in sin, not even himself. Many people live in sin, but sin alone is not capable of manifesting into external devastation.This phenomenon proves, hands down, that the gods wanted Oedipus’ sins to be exposed to him – to everyone. If the gods wanted to stop the game at any time, they could have, but they waited.

They dangled Oedipus from their strings and when he was at the pinnacle of his life – just when he had reached the point where he thought he could live free from the threat of the curse, the rug was ripped out from beneath where he stood, and all of his failures were made known to him. Segal indicates that although “The plot which unfolds this situation may look like a iabolical trap set up for Oedipus by the gods, Sophocles lets us see these events as the natural result of an interaction between character, circumstances in the past, and mere chance combinations in the present” (77). It is very

doubtful, however, that Oedipus’ willful hand or freedom of choice was the binding cause to any of his misery in the end. He was set up for failure from the beginning – a cursed man doomed to live out a horrendous fate. The more he tried to escape it, the more he was driven toward carrying it out.The more substantiated opinion, then, is that a supreme being, much like a father teaching his son to ride a bicycle, played the part of the silent force which kept Oedipus on track and moving forward toward the ultimate design.

His fate was not the cause of some tragic flaw of his. It is the opinion of this author that Oedipus was, in fact, the victim of fate; and a “puppet” in his own story. Work Cited Segal, Charles. “Tragic Heroism and the Limits of Knowledge. ” Oedipus Tyrannus.

Twayne Publishers, New York. 1993 F. J. H. Letters, "The Oedipus Tyrannus. " In The Life and Work of Sophocles, Gale, 1953 Literature Resource Center Gale.

Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College Lib. , Gulfport, MS. 24 July 2008 ; http://galenet. galegroup. com ;.

Sophocles. “Oedipus the King. ” Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. X. J.

Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 8th ed. New York: Longman, 2002. 1383-1423. Gould and Vernant. “Sophocles Oedipus Rex.

” Modern Critical Interpretations. Ed. Harold Bloom. Chelsea House Publishers, New York. 1988 Winnington-Ingram, R.

P. “Fate in Sophocles. ” Modern Critical Views: Sophocles. Ed. Harold Bloom. Chelsea House Publishers, New York.

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Oedipus Tragic Flaw Essay

In Oedipus the King, an argument stands on whether the main character Oedipus possess’ a tragic flaw or does not. However, it can be proven that Oedipus does possess a tragic flaw, towards the end of the play the audience is able to see what causes and leads Oedipus to his demise. His tragic flaw also speaks for the theme entirely which would be free will. As in most tragic plays the tragedy is usually caused by the protagonist tragic flaw. Oedipus ’ downfall would be solely lead by both his pride. As seen in the play, Oedipus is a very prideful ruler and will not have anyone or anything take that from him. The ultimate cause to his downfall would be that he was unwilling to accept his fate. He refuses to to accepts the predictions about his life and he fights against them. He goes as far as going up against his brother-in-law, Creon, who Oedipus calls a traitor. He states that Creon persuaded him to …show more content…

He is so willing to know the truth that he does not realize what will soon happen to him. Oedipus demands a messenger to speak the truth about his real parents, yet the messenger repeats that things are better left untold. Yet Oedipus thinks otherwise, the messenger warned him and this goes into the theme of the play, Oedipus is forcing himself to know the truth out of his own free will. Oedipus called for the shepherd that took him as a child and revealed the truth. Although Jocasta did not want Oedipus to investigate more, he did so anyway. Not only did he affect himself in the end but everyone around him that he knew. All because of his characteristics such as his pride, his arrogance, unwillingness, and ignorance he made Jocasta realize what she had committed and drove her to suicide. When Oedipus found her he soon met his demise which was losing his mother/wife, his father, gouging out his own two eyes, and banishing himself from the City of

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Oedipus Rex Critical Lens Essay

His parents chose to abandon him because of their fear of the oracle ’s foresight, he chose to leave because of his caution of it and he blinded himself because he’d driven himself to find the truth of his parentage. Oedipus’ situation caused him to do all

Justice In Oedipus The King Essay

A tragic hero, as defined by Aristotle, is a protagonist character who is relatable, has a fatal flaw, and is ultimately defeated by this fatal flaw. Oedipus 's flaw is impulsiveness. When an oracle warns Oedipus that his fate includes murdering his father and marrying his mother, he follows his impulses to run away from the man and woman who he presumes to be his parents. If he were to ask them about it, the fact that he was adopted would most likely be brought to light. Oedipus, on his way to the city of Thebes, murdered King Laius at the meeting of three roads.

Sight And Blindness In King Oedipus The King

First his denial of being the source of the plague. Second, his egotistical abilities that will form his plot to change his fate. And lastly, the consequences of his denial that will lead him to his physical and emotional destruction. It would seem that in this case, Oedipus’s fate is his own enemy.

Oedipus The King Literary Analysis Essay

The fate of Oedipus was not his own but he caused a disruption of a nation that could have been

What Is Oedipus Fatal Flaw

Oedipus the King, by Sophocles, is really a story about the necessity of placing more faith in others and their counsel than in oneself and one’s own beliefs. Repeatedly the titular character is pleaded with to listen to and accept the advice of those around him and each time he refuses to obey. Ultimately, Oedipus’ tendency to do perform the actions he would prefer to do rather than to allow his family to help guide him leads to his downfall and loss of the throne. A common characteristic of Greek tragedy is the “fatal flaw” of the main character and how this flaw leads to the character’s misfortune.

Poor Decisions Found In Oedipus The King

His fate reveals that he will sleep with his mother and kill his own father, so he made the poor decision to flee Corinth thinking he will sleep with his mother in Corinth. Visiting Delphi made Oedipus paranoid, leaving home after finding the truth led him to actually sleep with his mother and killed his own father. To sum it all up, Oedipus had made poor decisions after visiting Delphi, affecting his entire life and coming closer to his unfortunate

Oedipus was a tragic hero he was seen as a great man and was king,but he fell to misfortune because of his disability to see past his pride and anger which led to his demise. By not being able to see past his pride and anger Oedipus was not able to to avoid his prophetic destiny. He was blinded by his pride and anger so much that it became his tragic flaw ultimately leading him to his

Tragedy In Oedipus The King

Oedipus shortly after is escorted away by Creon after realizing that he had slept and procreated with his mother and killed his father. There are many characteristics of Greek tragedy; it always depicts the downfall of a good person who is called the protagonist. In the play ‘Oedipus the King’, Oedipus was the protagonist and soon met his demise at the end of the play by no one

Comparing Oedipus To Creon

Once Oedipus found out about the killing of his father and marrying of his mother, everything goes downhill. Jocasta hangs herself after finding out about her son also being her husband and her son killing her past husband. Oedipus finds her and gouges his eyes out. These events led up to Creon taking over as king and exiling Oedipus soon after his request to be exiled. The few interactions led up to the expulsion of the main character, Oedipus.

Oedipus The King Research Paper

So in the end, Oedipus no longer thinks of himself. Thinking of his children 's impending marriage, Oedipus begs for his children and no longer can think of himself as anything more than a creature that embodies what it means to be pathetic: “When you come to the age ripe for marriage, who will he be who will run the risk, children, to take for himself the reproaches that will be banes for my parents and offspring alike? What evil is absent? Your father slew his father; he ploughed his mother, where he himself was sown, and he sired you in the same fount where he himself was sired.

Responsibility In Oedipus The King

In Oedipus the King, Oedipus is the only one to accept responsibility when he discovers the truth. Jocasta, his mother and wife, realizes the truth before Oedipus does and she diminishes herself of responsibility by committing suicide. At the end of the play, Oedipus wasn’t a coward like his mother and took the blame of his own actions. This makes the tortured and blind man a hero.

Knowledge In Oedipus The King

Jocasta is afraid that the truth might actually be true, she doesn't want him to continue but he is arrogant and doesn't stop. In the end of the play, knowledge causes Oedipus to fall into ruin. Oedipus knowledge didn't help him where he most needed it, even though he defeated the sphinx and saved thebes anything can go into ruin like that. The truth come out maybe something Oedipus would have better off not knowing?

Sight Vs. Blindness In Sophocles Oedipus The King

First, he was blind to the truth about his own life. Oedipus had no idea that his real parents were Laius and Jocasta, he was so blind that he got mad at anyone that would even suggest an idea such as that. As the story went on though, Oedipus could no longer run from the truth; he was forced to open his eyes to the reality and truth of his life. Oedipus killed his father and married his mother; he is the brother to his own kids and the son of his own mother. Oedipus was the one that was causing all of the downfall and bad times in Thebes.

Who Was Responsible For Oedipus's Downfall

He had so much that he became blind to things around around him and the things he was doing to himself and others. Everything that happens to him is brought onto him by him. He killed his father, he also married his mother. He chooses to ignore the warnings from Jocasta, he searches and searches for the killer, to soon find out it was himself. Just as Oedipus becomes king his pride and confidence in himself grows.

Tragic Flaws In Oedipus The King

Oedipus who tries to make Creon looks like an evil person explains to Jocasta, his wife that he caught Creon in the act of wanting to stab him, which was not the case. “Precisely, I caught him in the act, Jocasta, plotting, about to stab me in the back” (Qtd in Barnet, Burto, & Cain, p. 1117). Oedipus who was challenging and discourteous most of the time violent temper plays a significant role in his downfall makes him a tragic flaw. Another tragedy of Oedipus as a tragic hero was that he was a proud man, who thinks he knew it all and would not listen to anyone. One of his greatest acts of hubris was that he denies his fate of the oracle and defy the prophecies of the gods that later came to reality, and despite his growing up in Corinth he was a son of the land of Thebes.

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Oedipus Tragic Flaw Essay

oedipus tragic flaw essay

Show More Oedipus possesses his own tragic flaw ever since the moment he did not listen to God’s will and escaped his reality. For the reason of anger, he killed his father and accused Teiresias of treason. Oedipus assembled things worse by running away and not facing the fact that he had murdered his father; thus, Oedipus tragic flaw was his temper. Oedipus’s biological mother addressed him to another family so he would not follow the Oracle’s order. Oedipus already had a destination by the God that he would have to accomplish. Oedipus escaped for the reason that he did not want to be part of the pollution of the city of Dionysia, although at the moment he did not know, on his journey to the city of Thebes he killed his father due to one of his tragic flaws (Dodds 20).If Oedipus would not have escaped the City of Dionysia he would of had never dealt with his tragic flaw of anger and killed his biological father. Unlike a real person would of been more cautious , Oedipus Rex is a dramatic play ,hence dramatic possessions occur(Dodds 20). …show more content… As a result, his mother tried to prevent the news, but she could not since Oedipus ended up killing his father. She also tried to hide the evidence that Oedipus whom killed the king, because when Oedipus asked her how Laius died, she “forgot” to tell him the correct sequence of the story. Oedipus had the obligation to investigate who killed the king since it was his responsibility to tell the truth, although the answer was not what he expected(Gould 52). The determination and power was one of the main themes in the play. The focus Oedipus had could be used as an advantage to find what he was searching for, in this case who killed Laius. The power he had to make this happen, since he ruled the city, he could punish anyone who would not help him or tell him the

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Oedipus The King Tragic Analysis

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Oedipus The King Literary Analysis

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Arrogance In Oedipus The King

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  1. In Oedipus Rex, how does Oedipus's tragic flaw lead to his downfall

    Quick answer: In Oedipus Rex, Oedipus's tragic flaw is his hubris, which leads to his downfall by influencing him to deny the will of the gods and attempt to alter his destiny by fleeing...

  2. The tragedy of Oedipus: [Essay Example], 974 words

    The Tragic Hero's Journey: Oedipus is the quintessential tragic hero. Join me in analyzing his noble qualities, tragic flaws, and the catastrophic consequences of his choices, all of which contribute to the profound impact of his story. A Timeless Tale of Hubris and Irony: Despite its ancient origins, Oedipus's story remains relevant today ...

  3. Tragic Flaws In Oedipus The King Essay

    I abandoned Corinth" (Line 876). This is more indicative of his love and care for his family, but also has undertones of pride, the Ancient Greeks believed that you simply couldn't outrun a prophecy, fate was meant to happen but Oedipus was so prideful and brash that he believed he could run away and avoid it.

  4. Sophocles Oedipus Rex Essay

    Sophocles Oedipus Rex Essay. 1002 Words5 Pages. In Sophocles' Oedipus Rex, he explores many avenues of Greek tragedy, and as such, it has been hailed as one of the greatest Greek tragedies. It explores the mainstays of a tragedy, including the 'tragic hero', who is doomed to fail as a result of his tragic flaw, that, while not necessarily ...

  5. Oedipus the King: The Tragic Flaws of Oedipus Essay

    Essay about Oedipus: A Tragic Hero. Oedipus Rex, or Oedipus the King is Sophocles's first play of "The Theban Cycle.". It tells the story of a king that tries to escape his fate, but by doing so he only brings about his downfall. Oedipus is a classic example of the Aristotelian definition of a tragic hero.

  6. Oedipus' Tragic Flaws: An Analysis of Oedipus Rex

    Oedipus' Tragic Flaws: An Analysis of Oedipus Rex In Sophocles' play Oedipus Rex, first performed sometime in the 430s B. C. E, the scene opens in front of the palace of Oedipus, King of Thebes. As Oedipus enters, he finds many children and priests praying to the gods. Oedipus questions the oldest of the priests as to why they are praying.

  7. Oedipus Tragic Flaw Essay

    Oedipus Tragic Flaw Essay 577 Words3 Pages Could one's own act of pride and anger be the result of their downfall? Throughout the play Oedipus is seen as a great hero and savior to the people of Thebes however, we soon start to learn that Oedipus has a tragic flaw.

  8. Is Oedipus A Tragic Flaw

    Oedipus is a tragic hero because he wants to improve the lives of his citizens, he has a major human flaw of being impulsive and easily irritable, Oedipus takes more punishment than what the play told, his life and fate was not fully under his control, and he makes a vast realization with an equal amount of change. 1216 Words 5 Pages Decent Essays

  9. Why Is Oedipus a Tragic Hero? Hubris, Hamartia, and Happenstance

    Aristotle was the first philosopher to analyze drama. He used Oedipus Rex to help him define the tragic hero. According to Aristotle, the characteristics of a tragic hero are nobility, morality, hamartia, anagnorisis, peripeteia, and catharsis. Oedipus does possess all of Aristotle's characteristics, though his tragic flaw is often debated.

  10. What Was Oedipus Tragic Flaw: Essay

    Oedipus commits two crimes, one of which is the murder of his father, King Laius, and marries his mother Jocasta. Oedipus unknowingly committed these crimes because of his attempts to avoid fate. He was raised in a city far from Thebes, where he was born, and assumes his parents live in the city of Corinth.

  11. The Story of Oedipus as a Tragic Hero

    Hamartia in a tragedy represents a flaw in the hero character or behavior, which invariably leads to tragic events (Beye, 2019). With regard to this concept, it is difficult to determine what hamartia really is for Oedipus. His intellect may be such a flaw since, due to it, Oedipus became king and married his mother.

  12. Tragic Flaws Of Oedipus Essay on Oedipus Rex

    Tragic Flaws Of Oedipus The ancient Greeks were fond believers of Fate. Fate, defined according to Websters, is the principle or determining cause or will by which things in general are believed to come to be as they are or events to happen as the do. The Greeks take on Fate was slightly modified.

  13. Oedipus Tragic Flaws

    Oedipus Tragic Flaw Essay 577 Words | 3 Pages. When Teiresias accuses Oedipus of being the defiler of the land he forgets the problems of the people and is encased in anger making him accuse Creon of bribing Teiresias. When he is speaking to his wife, Jocasta, he can only concentrate on one thing at a time and forgets the mention of Laius ...

  14. Tragic Flaws of Oedipus Rex Free Essay Example

    Some critics are of the view that major tragic flaw of Oedipus is his intellectual myopia. He has a limited vision and is unable to assess the situations in a right perspective. Robert L. Kane (1975) puts this preposition in this way; "He [Oedipus] was the victim of an optical illusion". (p.

  15. Oedipus: His Tragic Flaw Essay Example

    Oedipus: His Tragic Flaw Essay Example Available Only on StudyHippo Topics: Oedipus, Sophocles, Tragedy Pages: 9 (2455 words) Published: November 6, 2017 Type: Report View Entire Sample Download Sample Text preview Analytical Analysis on "Oedipus" And his Tragic Flaw It has been said that all tragic heroes possess tragic flaws.

  16. Oedipus Tragic Flaw Essay

    501 Words3 Pages In Oedipus the King, an argument stands on whether the main character Oedipus possess' a tragic flaw or does not. However, it can be proven that Oedipus does possess a tragic flaw, towards the end of the play the audience is able to see what causes and leads Oedipus to his demise.

  17. What is a good thesis statement for an essay about the tragedy Oedipus

    Of course, Oedipus is a tragic hero. But what might be interesting is to ask whether any other character in the play has tragic qualities. Could Jocasta, the mother/wife of Oedipus be considered a ...

  18. Oedipus Tragic Flaw Essay

    Oedipus Tragic Flaw Essay Improved Essays 491 Words 2 Pages Open Document Essay Sample Check Writing Quality Show More Oedipus possesses his own tragic flaw ever since the moment he did not listen to God's will and escaped his reality. For the reason of anger, he killed his father and accused Teiresias of treason.

  19. What is the "tragic flaw" of Oedipus in Sophocles's Oedipus Rex

    The "tragic flaw" of the character of Oedipus in Sophocles's tragedy Oedipus Rex is his excessive pride, also known as hubris. Oedipus's hubris causes him to make decisions that lead to his tragic ...