Tragic flaw of Oedipus Rex
The Greeks considered tragedy the greatest form for literature. Many readers today would agree. Is a tragedy's end fate? Or is it tragic flaw? Unlike the critic's opinion being that one cannot pinpoint Oedipus' tragic flaw, I disagree. I think that we can pick out, just by carefully reading and analyzing the play, that Oedipus indeed had a tragic flaw. It is for this reason that we can say that this play is not an example of "fate", because if it were, it wouldn't matter what the characters did or said since the end would be predestined for them all. In Oedipus Rex though, we see many examples that Oedipus' tragic flaw is his excessive pride. As the play progresses, other characteristics appear and further add to the problem to such a point that it is inevitable that it will end in tragedy. Therefore the tragedies were not a result of a plot by the fates, but rather a result of the characteristics that the characters possessed. There are several characteristics that characters in tragedies could have, but out of all of those, pride is the most prevalent of all. It seems to be the biggest tragic flaw that eventually causes the downfall of one or more of the characters. As mentioned before, the tragic f
If Oedipus had not been so determined to escape and prevent the prophecy, he would not have fulfilled it. So we can see that because of Oedipus' excessive pride and determination to avoid his 'fate', he walked straight into it. What makes us human is making mistakes, suffering the consequences of them, and then learning from those mistakes. As we have discussed before, the fact that the brooch was gold, symbolizes that now it is a permanent, spiritual, heavenly state that he is in. We can see this when he is talking to Creon, asking him to take him into exile (lines1525-1533). " Here again the priest is portraying the idea that the people of Thebes almost worship Oedipus because he uses the word 'suppliant', which is a person who basically begs for help from God. When the blind prophet Tiresius stated that Oedipus was the murderer of King Laius, Oedipus' pride prevented him to believe. Instead of being respectful to him since he is a prophet, Oedipus rather jumps to conclusions and talks down to Tiresius. " So not only does Oedipus deny that he himself had anything to do with it, but that Tiresius did it. We can see by the priest's reply that the people of Thebes likewise think of Oedipus as a very important person - almost like a god. In lines 375 and 376, he says, !"You have no strength, blind in your ears, your reason, and your eyes. In turn, Oedipus blinds himself with a two-pronged gold brooch. Not knowing the truth, he cursed himself to exile (lines221-280). Only at the end of the play does Oedipus learn humility. Possibly, he was doomed to fulfill the prophecy because he believed he could avoid it.
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