Is Oedipus the true tragic her
Aristotle described tragedy in his poetics 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". He went on further to describe Sophocles's Oedipus Rex as the best tragedy ever written, as it illustrates perfectly the goodness and superiority of the character, his tragic flaw that will ultimately lead to the downfall of Oedipus, the character's tragic realization in which Oedipus is able to realize that he has helped to bring about his own destruction and the absence of free will in his life. As a ruler, Oedipus is considered by his people very just, compassionate, and sympathetic. When the priests of Thebes come to him pleading fo
Although Oedipus truly is a good person, he is unable to overcome his fatal flaw which is that of stubbornness, impulsiveness, and most of all grandiosity. r help on behalf of the people of Thebes who were suffering from death and famine, Oedipus immediately agrees and promises them that he would do his best in solving the problems, saying "Whether you come in dread or crave some blessing: tell me, and never doubt that I will help you in every way I can; I should be heartless" (pg 1384, lines12-14). No matter what precautions he took, Oedipus was unable to escape his fate and tragic end, as he had no free will and absolutely no say in his life. After hearing about the prophesy from the oracle, he refuses to accept his fate of murdering the king and marrying the queen of Corinth, who he believed to be his parents, and immediately leaves the city. He evokes sympathy simply because he was not evil or foolish, just human and fallible. It is then that the truth is exposed, revealing that Oedipus had not been able to escape his fate and had killed his true father, King Lauis, and married his true mother, Queen Jocasta. In a fit of rage, Oedipus kills the entire entourage, including the man who ends up being his true father. As the new King of Thebes, it becomes Oedipus's responsibility to find King Lauis's murderer. He was a king, a good husband and father, a man contented with his lot in life who eventually lost his status, wife, children and home. The unveiling of the truth leads to the horrible reversal in Oedipus's life, and induces a feeling of fear and pity in the audience; this is clearly stated by the chorus, "O naked brow of wrath and tears, O change of Oedipus! I who saw your days call no man blest- your great days like ghosts gone. So quickly his life begins to slip out from underneath his feet. After solving the riddle of the sphinx, Oedipus is crowned the new king of Thebes. Though he has never harmed a man in his past, he is unable to rise above his flaws on his journey to Thebes when he is ordered off the road by the leader of a carriage.
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Acceptance Essays
