Oedipus the king
In the play Oedipus the King by Sophocles, Oedipus is a classic tragic hero. There are a number of characteristics that identify a tragic hero. Although a tragic hero causes his own downfall, his fate is usually not deserved, and his punishment is much worse than his crime. A tragic hero is usually someone of importance or power who has a tragic flaw that affects his judgement, and must then suffer the consequences. At the same time, the tragic hero arouses sympathy in the audience because their punishment is so great and could happen to anyone. All of the above characteristics make Oedipus a tragic hero and one can see how these attributes cause his fall from a mighty king to a blind outcast. In Oedipus the King, Oedipus has been a king for years after solving the riddle of the Sphinx and ridding the land of a horrible blight. From the very beginning, we see his tragic flaw, hubris, although it takes different forms. The play begins with a plea by a priest to save Thebes a second time from a plague that has cursed the land. With this, he announces that he has already sent Creon to the Oracle to ask what to do and proclaims that "I shall be a traitor if I do not do what the god reveals" (76-77). Creo
And so, the tragic hero Oedipus learns a lesson from his errors in judgment and becomes an example to the audience of what happens when great men fall from their lofty positions. Oedipus loses his sight, but gains the truth and learns humility. He was once great, but because of his hubris he came to fall, and his punishment was to live the rest of his life with the knowledge of what he had done. n returns with the prophecy from the oracle and wishes to tell Oedipus privately, but Oedipus tells Kreon, "Speak out to us all! The grief that burdens me concerns these men more than it does my life" (94-95). Creon announces that the death of the that Oedipus will not go to Corinth because he fears the second part of the prophecy about his mother, but the messenger tells him that Polybus and Merope are not his parents. Hearing this, he is determined to find out who his parents really are. By this time, Jocasta knows the truth about Oedipus, and she tries to persuade him to give up his search before it is too late. Oedipus, thinking that she worried that he is not of noble birth dismisses her protests and calls for the shepherd. At first the shepherd refuses to tell of Oedipus's birth but Oedipus is persistent and threatens him with torture. Because he does not heed the warnings of others and is so stubborn, his punishment is the knowledge that the prophecy is fulfilled. Jocasta kills herself and Oedipus blinds himself in agony. The irony is that now that he cannot physically see, he can now see the truth of the prophecy. He is finally at his lowest. previous king must be avenged, and Oed
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1086
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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