Oedipus as Aristotle's Tragic Hero: An Analysis

Introduction

Aristotle, the Greek philosopher, developed a definition of the tragic hero and tragedy that has been influential ever since he set these ideas down in The Poetics. These definitions were regarded as especially important during the Renaissance, when scores of writers shaped their work on the literature of ancient Rome and Greece. Aristotle asserted that tragedies follow the descent of a tragic hero — a central character — from a noble and high position to a low one. A tragic hero possesses some tragic flaw that causes his fall from fortune, and at some point the tragic hero recognizes that his own mistakes have caused the reversal of his fortunes. Aristotle also noted that the tragic fall of a hero stirs up fear in the audience, given that the audience sympathizes with the character and dreads a similar fate.

According to Aristotle, a tragic hero must be an essentially good person, but flawed (Bloom 19). A perfect tragedy must be arranged on a complex rather than a simple plan, and it should imitate actions that excite fear and pity, with fortune changing from good to bad. However, the change of fortune from good to bad should not result from vice, but from some frailty or great error. This paper assesses how Sophocles' Oedipus Rex exemplifies Aristotle's definition of a tragic hero by evaluating the plot of the play, the aspects that instigate Oedipus's downfall, the character traits of Oedipus relative to those of a tragic hero, and the circumstances that cause the reversal of Oedipus's fortune.

Aristotle asserts in his poetic works that a tragic hero faces misfortune while trying to pursue momentous goals. Oedipus the King is determined to find and punish Laius's killers. He has declared a penalty of exile for the murderers of Laius without knowing that he is actually the guilty party. He gouges out his eyes and is cast out of his community not because of deliberate injustice, but because of a blunder he irrationally made (Kahan 68). His tragedy surfaces in the course of his expedition to seek justice for Laius. His past mistakes have led to his tragedy: he cannot accept that he unwittingly married his own mother and accidentally killed his own father. Sophocles epitomizes Aristotle's definition of a tragic hero through a complex plot, Oedipus's noble character, moral principles, greatness, and the reversal of fortune that instigates Oedipus's tragic end.

The Complex Plot and Aristotle's Definition of Tragedy

Aristotle defines tragedy as an imitation of a complete, noble action of suitable magnitude that employs artistically enhanced language — "an imitation of an action that is serious, complete and of certain magnitude" (Stuke 4). According to Aristotle, the tragic hero arouses terror, and consequently pity and fear. The audience sympathizes with a tragic hero because he suffers a terrible downfall that provokes catharsis. Aristotle defines tragic characters as those who strive purposefully toward meaningful goals. In this view, a tragic hero is not a person caught in perfect justice and virtue, nor a person who suffers misfortune because of wickedness, but rather a person who experiences misfortune due to some miscalculation (Ormand 441).

Sophocles depicts a perfect tragedy through employing a complex plot that imitates actions capable of stimulating fear and pity. Oedipus Rex demonstrates the story of a man who tries to maintain respectable conduct as he uncovers the disgrace in his past life. Oedipus strives to discover his troubled past. When he learns that his city is beset by pestilence and other misfortunes — "God that carries fire, a deadly pestilence on our town" — Oedipus sends Creon to consult Apollo's oracle (Sophocles & Grene 12). Creon returns with the message that all will be well if the assassin of Oedipus's predecessor is found. Oedipus is therefore determined to apprehend Laius's murderer. He sends for Tiresias, the blind seer, who names Oedipus himself as the person responsible for Laius's death. Oedipus is not persuaded by the prophet's statement; instead, he regards Tiresias's accusation as a scheme by the prophet and Creon to overthrow him. Eventually, Oedipus realizes that he is indeed the person behind King Laius's murder. He is devastated upon discovering that he accidentally killed his own father and, more agonizingly, married his own mother. Unable to bear the revelation, he gouges out his eyes and asks to be cast out — the very punishment he had declared for the murderers of Laius.

Oedipus possesses a tragic flaw that causes his fall from fortune, and he comes to recognize that his own mistakes have caused the reversal of his fortunes. Tragedies follow the descent of a tragic hero from a noble and high position to a low one (Ormand 441). Oedipus descends from a position of nobility and authority to that of a blind outcast. He comes to understand his destiny through his own actions, and his fall from high esteem prompts pity and fear in the reader. Oedipus Rex closely fits the Aristotelian guidelines for tragedy. According to Sophocles and Osborne, Oedipus is the very model of the tragic hero, given that the concept of the tragic hero is founded on him. Because of his hamartia, Oedipus suffers a reversal, or peripeteia, which Aristotle identifies as the heart of tragedy (69). Although hamartia is often translated as "tragic flaw," it does not denote an enduring or deep personality failing such as lust or pride; rather, it refers to a mistake of recognition or perception (Sophocles and Osborne 69). For a character to be termed a tragic hero, he or she must experience a reversal of fortune. Sophocles' Oedipus exemplifies Aristotle's definition of a tragic hero precisely because of this reversal. Aristotle holds that reversal of fortune is the principal mechanism for triggering pity and fear in the audience. Sophocles established the idea of a critical lapse of judgment that brings about the fall of a virtuous and masterful personality, and the fate of Oedipus arouses terror and pity as the audience witnesses these tragic events unfold.

Conclusion

According to Aristotle's theory and definition of a tragic hero, the tragic hero must be of high social standing and noble, given that only a noble person can fall deeply (Bloom 19). A crucial quality of the tragic hero, expressed through admirable traits, is the tragic flaw — personal errors that lead to the downfall of the individual. According to Aristotle, the best approach to structuring a literary work is to develop a complex plot. Such a plot allows the writer to create a realistic depiction of life in which a perfect tragedy produces tragic pleasure.