Oedipus Rex
In the play Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, Oedipus is a classic tragic hero in which makes the play a tragedy. According to Aristotle's definition, Oedipus is a tragic hero because he is a king whose life falls apart when he finds out his life story. There are a number of characteristics described by Aristotle that identify a tragic hero. For example, a tragic hero must cause his own downfall enforcing hamartia, his fate is not deserved, his punishment exceeds his crime and he also must be of noble stature and have greatness. The hero must also go through peripeteia and anagorisis. Oedipus is in love with his idealized self, and does not realize what problems he has caused to himself. All of the above characteristics make Oedipus a tragic hero according to Aristotle's ideas about tragedy. Using Oedipus as an ideal model, Aristotle says that a tragic hero must be an important or influential man who makes an error in judgment or hamartia, and who must then suffer the consequences of his actions. Those actions are seen when Oedipus forces Tiresias to reveal his destiny and his father's name. When Tiresias tries to warn him by saying "This present day will give you birth and death", Oedipus still does not care
The birth of Oedipus presets his destiny to result in tragedy even though he is of noble birth. In tragedies, protagonists are usually of the nobility to make their falls seem greater. Oedipus just happens to be born a prince, and he has saved a kingdom that is rightfully his from the Sphinx. His destiny is to be of noble stature from birth, which is denied to him by his parents, but given back by the Sphinx. He is blind in his actions; therefore he does not see that the questioning would bring him only misery. Peripeteia, or the fall from grace and anagorisis happens when Oedipus, Jocasta, and all the other characters in the story realize that Oedipus actually did murder Laius and that Jocasta is indeed Oedipus' birth mother as well as his wife. Oedipus finds out his true self and nature of how he is not the real son of Merope and Polybus but of Jocasta and Laius. What he longed to find the truth for, was already found in him, but Oedipus was blind to see the truth in which he lived. Jocasta speaks of Laius leaving the palace with just a few servants and his being killed where three roads meet. Oedipus claims that he killed somebody where three roads meet, who had a few servants with him. When one of the servants who had accompanied Laius on his final journey and had survive
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Approximate Word count = 872
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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