A tragic hero is doomed from the beginning. Oedipus, a fiction character from a Thebian play, was a part of a prophecy before he was even born. He was destined to live a tragic life. A tragic hero also suffers more than they deserve. Although Oedipus had his faults, he was brought into an unavoidable hell he was destined to visit, something he probably didn't deserve. Aristotle was a Greek philosopher born in 384 BC. He came up with the description of a tragic hero. According to Aristotle, a tragic hero is someone with good intentions but a major flaw. |
"What is the creature that walks on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon and three in the evening?" This was the riddle of the Sphinx which Oedipus solved with the answer “Man”. Solving the riddle lead to the crowning of Oedipus of king of Thebes. Oedipus wasn’t a bad king, but rather a king with a lot of hubris. He was put up on a pedestal and looked up to as a hero in response for his heroism and brilliance. His pride blinding him from the riddle he is currently solving. |
Oedipus was apart of a prophecy before he was even born. He was destined to live a tragic life. A tragic hero also suffers more than they deserve. Although Oedipus had his faults, he was brought into an unavoidable hell he was destined to visit, something he probably didn't deserve.
"A man cannot become a hero until he can see the root of his own downfall" - Aristotle
Since birth Oedipus was destined the fate of a prophecy to live a tragic life. Despite anything him or those around him could have done. According to Aristotle, Oedipus is the prime example of a tragic hero.
King Laius was warned that if his wife were to conceive a son, he would later murder him. When his wife, Jocasta, did give birth to a son, Laius wanted to kill him. Jocasta, Oedipus’s mother, pinned him to the top of Mt. Cithaeron leaving him to die at the will of the Gods. Unfortunately for everyone, a shepherd couldn't bare to see Oedipus left to die, and he rescued him from certain doom. He let Oedipus live to fulfill a horrific prophecy. |
While Oedipus is on his way to Thebes to avoid killing his father, he ironically kills his father. On the path of a crossroads both Oedipus and a traveling caravan claim the right of passage. Oedipus loses his cool and kills the driver. The driver just so happens to be Laius, Oedipus’s real dad and king. This leads to lots of further confusion and tragedy down the road. |
His mother/lover, Jocasta, realizes the severity of the situation and kills herself. Oedipus takes the brooches off her gown and thrusts the long golden pins into his eye sockets. The irony is that he can now see the whole truth now that he's blind, but was blind to the truth when he could physically see. His hubris blinded him from the truth that was given to him. At the end of the play, a blind Oedipus steps down from his kingship and asks to be banished.
People today often have an excessive amount of pride. If what we have learned from Aristotle is right, than you would be wise to consider other people's opinions, not just your own.
Works Cited:
Nguyen, Marie-Lan. A bust of Aristotle. Digital image. Wikimedia Commons. Wikimedia, 11 Nov. 2006. Web. 8 Dec. 2014. <http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Aristotle_Altemps_Inv8575.jpg>.
Tuz, Diana. Oedipus at the Cross Roads. 2014. Paper Drawing. Benson Polytechnic High School.
Tuz, Diana. The blinded Oedipus. 2014. Paper Drawing. Benson Polytechnic High School.
Tuz, Diana. Oedipus Confronts the Sphinx. 2014. Paper Drawing. Benson Polytechnic High School.
Tuz, Diana. Oedipus Pinned to the Top of Mt. Cithaeron. 2014. Paper Drawing. Benson Polytechnic High School.
Nguyen, Marie-Lan. A bust of Aristotle. Digital image. Wikimedia Commons. Wikimedia, 11 Nov. 2006. Web. 8 Dec. 2014. <http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Aristotle_Altemps_Inv8575.jpg>.
Tuz, Diana. Oedipus at the Cross Roads. 2014. Paper Drawing. Benson Polytechnic High School.
Tuz, Diana. The blinded Oedipus. 2014. Paper Drawing. Benson Polytechnic High School.
Tuz, Diana. Oedipus Confronts the Sphinx. 2014. Paper Drawing. Benson Polytechnic High School.
Tuz, Diana. Oedipus Pinned to the Top of Mt. Cithaeron. 2014. Paper Drawing. Benson Polytechnic High School.