Hamartia: Oedipus' Tragic Flaw

A detailed Summary of Hamartia: Oedipus' Tragic Flaw

According to Aristotle, the tragic hero is impeded by a distinguishable characteristic or character trait, which leads to his ultimate demise. This trait is known as hamartia, or the "tragic flaw." This characteristic is said to not only lead to the hero's demise but may also enable the reader to sympathize with the character. So it follows that in Oedipus the King, a Greek tragedy, the tragic hero Oedipus should have some sort of flaw. However, after close examination of the text, no distinguishable "flaw" is revealed. Although Oedipus appears to have many "flaws" on the surface, namely his poor temperament, carelessness, curiosity, arrogance, and pride, close examination of the text reveals that his many seemingly flawed characteristics are not only justifiable but in some cases to be expected. By running away from his fate, Oedipus ends up sealing both his and his parent’s destiny, but who wouldn’t run from such horrible fate?

One might expect that a quick and even murderous temper would be considered a serious impediment for Oedipus. However, he is quite justified in his rage against Creon and Tiresias, and he has good reasons to suspect them of plotting against him. The murder of

Maybe the actual killing of Laius and his four servants is an extreme display of Oedipus' murderous temperament. While it may seem a bit extreme in hindsight, at the time of the incident his actions are totally justifiable. Oedipus describes the incident as, “coming face-to-face, and the one in the lead and the old man himself [was] about to thrust [him] off the road-brute force - and the one shouldering [him] aside, the driver, [he] struck [him] in anger - and the old man, watching [Oedipus] coming up along his wheels - he brings down his prod, two prongs straight at [his] head"(884-893). Oedipus, although living in self-imposed exile, still considers himself to be of royal blood. Therefore any offense, especially by some old man and his servants, is cause for serious reprimand. In the case of Oedipus, this means murder. His murderous actions are justifiable because he naturally has a quick temper and also considers himself to be royalty. Although one coul!

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Oedipus' name means "swollen foot." Could it be that Oedipus also has a swollen head? Is his pride the damning characteristic? The fatal flaw? There is no evidence in the text to support this view. Although today's readers may see pride as a poor characteris

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Approximate Word count = 895
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Miscellaneous

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