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
law of Oedipus excessive pride, or 'hubris. 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. In lines 375 and 376, he says, !"You have no strength, blind in your ears, your reason, and your eyes. " 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. Nevertheless, his fate was sealed by his actions of pride and determination. In lines 141 and 142, we can clearly see Oedipus' tragic flaw. He even mocks the fact that Tiresius is blind because in line 353 and 354, Oedipus says to Tiresius, "If you could see, I should have said the deed was yours alone. >From the very beginning of the play, Oedipus opens by addressing the people of Thebes as "my children. He talks to them as if they are so inferior to him. Only at the end of the play does Oedipus learn humility. He calls him a "vile traitor" (line 339). He had fulfilled the prophecy because of his own actions, which he had believed were beneficial. " ------------------------------------------------------------------------**Bibliography**. Because of solving the riddle of the Sphinx, he marries Jocasta, Queen of Thebes.
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