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Oedipus's Tragic Flaws
Oedipus Rex is the classic story of Oedipus, King of Thebes, a tragic hero whose fate was in the hands of supernatural forces and who was doomed to murder his father and marry his mother. In the play, Oedipus has many characteristics that allow him to be labeled a tragic hero. The philosopher Aristotle states that a tragic hero is an influential person that because of an error in judgment has to suffer the consequences of his or her actions. In the case of Oedipus, it can be argued that his tragic flaws are excessive pride, or hubris, and self-righteousness.
The root of Oedipus's tragic flaw is found in his stubbornness, pride, and ignorance. There are many events within the play that are not motivated by these flaws and are predestined to occur and are controlled by supernatural forces, however Oedipus's flaws make it easier for prophecies to come true. For instance, Oedipus kills his biological father, Laius, on a narrow road, an event that was prophesized, because both men...
This is not the only time when Oedipus's stubbornness prevents him from seeing the truth. Earlier in the play, Oedipus refuses to listen to Tiresias when he tells Oedipus that the man he is looking for, Laius's murderer is Oedipus himself (lines 434-435). Even when Oedipus is told the truth about whom his parents really are, he refuses to listen to anybody and will not accept that King Polybius and Queen Meroe of Crete were not his biological parents. Oedipus's stubbornness does not only affect him, but also affects his wife/mother. Jocasta realizes that the truth will destroy them all and begs Oedipus to not investigate Laius's murder any further, but Oedipus will not listen to her pleas (lines 1270, 1276).
Another of Oedipus's tragic flaws is his ignorance. Oedipus cannot be blamed for his ignorance because he had been lied to his entire life. Because Oedipus was under the impression that his biological parents were the king and queen…
Works Cited
Sophocles. Oedipus Rex. Web. Accessed 4 April 2012.
Oedipus Rex Sophocles' "Oedipus Rex" is the most famous of his tragedies in which Greek dramatic irony reaches an apex (Sophocles1 pp). Aristotle was a great admirer of Sophocles, and considered Oedipus Rex to be the perfect example of tragedy (Outline pp). According to Aristotle, tragedy is an imitation of action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude, in which language is embellished with each kind of artistic ornament
Thus, his thirst for knowledge prompts the tragedy to a certain degree. His wife and mother at the same time attempts to dissuade him from the further pursuit of truth, hinting in a very interesting phrase that such 'fantasies' as the wedlock to one's mother is a constant appearance in dreams and should simply be ignored: "This wedlock with thy mother fear not thou. / How oft it chances
It is this lead character's outrage that drives the plot, rather than any journey of self-discovery or some fateful intervention. This is seen when Antigone declares her defiance of the king: "I will bury him myself. / and if death comes, so be it. / There'll be glory in it. / ... The gods will be proud of me." Rather than placing the importance of the gods first, Antigone
His nephew turned against his own country and he got what he deserved. but, in king Creon's view, death is not enough. He believes in setting an example and uses the occasion as an opportunity to make a point and warn all those who dared to defy their country of the fate that was expecting them, too. In this case, King Creon is wrong, because he will eventually pay
His physical loss of sight is penance for the lack of insight he had at the start of the play. He has exchanged physical sight for mental insight into the truth. 4. Rhetorically, Oedipus uses the diction of a king at the beginning of a play. He plays the role of one in power, and of a person in full control of and with confidence in himself. When his people
Q: There is a good deal in the play about seeing and blindness. What purpose does this serve? How is Oedipus contrasted with Teiresias? How does Oedipus at the beginning of the play contrast with the Oedipus at the end? Why is his blinding himself dramatically appropriate? A: The physical conditions of sight and blindness in the play serve symbolic functions, particularly as these conditions manifest themselves in Oedipus himself. Oedipus