What exactly is a hero? Is it someone who rushes into a burning house to rescue a child? Or is it a monk who abstains from worldly pleasures and comforts in order to be closer to the Gods? Joseph Cambell, one of the foremost authorities of Greek mythology, defined the literary hero as someone who accomplishes extraordinary feats in at least one of two basic realms: worldly or spiritual. If the aforementioned prospective heroes were the protagonists of a story and were transformed by their deeds and imparted the wisdom they learned on to others, then, according to Cambell, they could be viewed as heroes. Not only has Cambell defined the word hero but he has also outlined a simple cycle that most heroes follow. An annotated version of this ambiguous cycle would begin with a Call to Adventure, then the assistance of a helper, then an irrevocable crossing of the Threshold of Adventure, followed by an undergoing of an ordeal and receiving of a reward, and, finally the return of the hero with the quintessential solution. Although Oedipus clearly follows this cycle, he was an antihero rather than a hero.
To better understand this, one must first follow Oedipus’s adventure in respect to how it fits into the Hero Cycle. Oedipu
. . .
At this point, a little diplomacy from a man in the position that Oedipus was in might have gone a long way. Several years and four children later, the old prophecies return to the surface because the consequences of this incestuous relationship have begun to manifest themselves in the form of a terrible plague on the city of Thebes. It is at this point that Oedipus exposes two very unflattering human traits: pride and a foul temper. When Oedipus discovers the truth, he gouges out his eyes and, following his own edict, he banishes himself from Thebes. Oedipus recrosses the Threshold of Adventure when he refuses to give benediction to either of his sons. This, however, does not disqualify him as a hero. Oedipus was visited upon by many trials and tribulations but was not transformed. Did he forget about the consequences of his having anything to do with Thebes?
What goes on four legs in the morning, two legs in the afternoon, and three legs in the evening? The answer is a man and that is exactly what Oedipus was, a man and nothing more (foreshadowing?). Oedipus crosses the Threshold of Adventure when he meets, quarrels with, and then murders a stranger who happens to be his father. It was only through the mercy of the helper, a shepherd, that Oedipus was spared.
die by your own brother’s hand, and
you shall kill the brother who banished you. What
summarily eliminates him is that, in the end, he never transcends these human qualities.
Approximate Word count =
970
Approximate Pages =
4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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