In Sophocles' tragedies, Oedipus and Antigone, there are three major characters that experience a downfall from their place of high esteem, but only one character fits the criteria of tragic hero, as defined by Aristotle. Only Oedipus' story arouses pity and fear from the audience, therefore he is the only true tragic hero of the plays.
             Aristotle believed that a tragedy must arouse pity and fear from its audience; in doing this the audience would feel a sense of catharsis. Catharsis is a term dubbed by Aristotle, its meaning is attached to the audience of the Greek tragedy, who would feel a sense of an emotional purging. In order to arouse pity and fear, the main character must meet a set of credentials. The main character must have a dignified or heroic stature, have a noble or outstanding character, have a tragic flaw, and of course be courageous and high-ranking. (Aristotle)
             Oedipus meets all of the requirements of the tragic hero. First, he is a brave man of heroic stature. Oedipus is intorduced after he has unraveled the riddle of the Sphinx. The city has been paralyzed within its walls, caught in famine, while a plague has spread throughout. In solving the riddle, Oedipus is granted kingship of Thebes, and a lovely wife Jocasta. Oedipus is now distinguished as the highest ranking official of the ancient times. Also, by risking his life for the common people, he has shown his noble character.
             Upon hearing of a prophecy at a festival, "And he shall be found at once brother and father of the children with whom he consorts; son and husband of the woman who bore him; heir to his father 's bed, and shedder of his father 's blood," (Sophocles 124) he flees his homeland of Corinth, hoping to avoid that horrible fate. The irony in this however, is while in self-exile, he slays a man whom happens to be his father. When Oedipus solves the riddle of the Sphinx, he is grante
             ...