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
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In line 15, the priest says, “we who sit before your altars. He had fulfilled the prophecy because of his own actions, which he had believed were beneficial. In lines 40 and 41, the priest says to Oedipus, “Again now Oedipus, our greatest power, we plead with you, as suppliants all of us…” 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. He talks to them as if they are so inferior to him. law of Oedipus excessive pride, or ‘hubris. Then, when Tiresius still declines to tell Oedipus of his fate, Oedipus starts to accuse Tiresius as being the one who killed Laius. In lines 375 and 376, he says, !
“You have no strength, blind in your ears, your reason, and your eyes. As the very last statement from the Chorus says, “we must wait, and see his end, scrutinize his dying day, and refuse to call him happy till he has crossed the border of his life without p!
ain. Now Oedipus not only sees how the prophecy was played out, but also is able to look beyond the surface of things. ” He also calls the priest “old man”, which is not only looking down at him, but also being very disrespectful. Continuing after the priest’s reply in the beginning, Oedipus calls them “pitiable children” (line 57). In turn, Oedipus blinds himself with a two-pronged gold brooch. When his final realization came, and he recognized the truth of !
what he had done, Oedipus stabs his eyes with brooches - a mere physical suffering compared to the torture of his soul. This I do not see as a downfall, because had he not realized his fate, he would have lived in ignorant bliss for the rest of his life. Throughout the priest’s reply, we can see many more examples of this worshi!
p of Oedipus.
Approximate Word count =
1247
Approximate Pages =
5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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