The Tragic Flaws Of Oedipus The King - 1352 Words

An individual’s strengths can eventually become their greatest weaknesses. Their strongest traits can turn into their tragic flaws. A tragic flaw is a trait viewed as being favorable to a character at first, but it leads to their later downfall. It was often used in ancient Greek tragedies to show that mankind was susceptible to flaw. This was present in Sophocles s tragedy, Oedipus the King. The protagonist of the tragedy, Oedipus, was not exempt from his own flaws. Oedipus’s traits of excessive pride and desire for knowing the truth were advantageous to him in the beginning, yet were the very things that contributed to his tragic downfall. Oedipus possesses an excessive amount of pride, or known to Greeks as hubris. This was necessary†¦show more content†¦Creon advises Oedipus to enlist the help of the blind prophet Tiresias to solve the mystery. When he demands the answer as to who the murderer was,Tiresias told Oedipus that he, was the â€Å"defiler of this land,†(30). Essentially, Tiresias was telling Oedipus that he was the unclean thing the oracle referrers to that needs to be driven out of the land. Angered, outraged, and confused, Oedipus could not accept this truth of hearing he was the murderer, and further insulted the blind prophet. Similarly, Oedipus’s pride falsely leads him to think that he could escape his fate that he was told about in the prophecy. While in Corinth, Oedipus went to a shrine of Apollo, where he was told a prophecy in which he would murder his father, marry his mother, and have unnatural children. â€Å"The oracle of Phoebus Apollo said that I/ Must kill my father , lie with my mother. /This drove me out of Corinth. I regret nothing - /I have married happily, raised a family, known the sweetness of power† (61). Oedipus believes that since he escaped from his â€Å"parents† in Corinth, he escaped his fate and could no longer fulfill the prophecy. Because he did not believe in oracles, nor know Jocasta was his mother, nor know Laius was his father, he was certain at this point that he indeed was not king Laius’s murderer, despite Tiresias’s words. As the tragedy unfolds, it shows further evidence that he had fulfilled the prophecy. Oedipus’s pride, which was once seen as favorable to him, destroysShow MoreRelatedThe Tragic Flaw Of Oedipus The King1310 Words   |  6 Pages The Unfortunate Fate of a Tragic Flaw An individual’s strengths can eventually become their greatest weaknesses. A tragic flaw is a trait viewed as being favorable to a character at first, but it leads to their later downfall. It was often used in ancient Greek tragedies to show that mankind was susceptible to flaw. This was present in Sophocles s tragedy, Oedipus the King. The protagonist of the tragedy,Oedipus, was not exempt from his own flaws. Oedipus’s traits of excessive pride and desireRead MoreEssay on Tragic Flaws in Oedipus the King3561 Words   |  15 PagesOedipus the King, Sophocles’ classical Greek tragedy, presents tragic flaw(s) as the cause of   the near-total destruction of the life of the protagonist. This essay examines that flaw. In his essay â€Å"Sophoclean Tragedy† Friedrich Nietzsche agrees that there is an â€Å"error† within the protagonist, but refrains from specifying exactly what it is: The most pathetic figure of the Greek theatre, the unfortunate Oedipus, Sophocles takes to be a noble man called to error and alienation in spite ofRead MoreOedipus the King: The Tragic Flaws of Oedipus Essay852 Words   |  4 Pagesmarry his mom, and discover it all in Oedipus Rex, Sophocles’ tragedy. Oedipus was so determined to save Thebes from the plague bestowed on them by Apollo. But little did he know that he was the source of it all. His constant reversal of fortune, neutrality, and suffering make him the perfect example of a classic Greek tragic hero. One moment, Oedipus is brimming with hope; the next, he’s sure that he is the killer of his father, King Laius. Every time Oedipus thinks that it can’t possibly be himRead More tragoed Essay on the Tragic Flaws of Oedipus the King (Oedipus Rex)696 Words   |  3 Pages The Tragic Flaws of Oedipus Rex nbsp; At one time in our lives there is a moment that we may think of ourselves as better than someone or something else. There may also be a point when making a decision leads to a great error in judgment. In the play Oedipus Rex, written by Sophocles, both of these characteristics can be seen in the main character. These characteristics are known as tragic flaws. These flaws are known as hubris meaning excess pride, leading to overconfidence, and hamartiaRead MoreOedipus As A Tragic Hero1094 Words   |  5 PagesIn the play Oedipus the King, Oedipus struggles to accept the truth and lets his temper over power him. He can be displayed as a tragic hero. His refusal to accept the truth led to Oedipus’ down fall. A tragic hero, as defined by Aristotle, â€Å"is a literary character who makes a judgment error that inevitably leads to his/her own destruction.† Sophocles’ Oedipus exemplifies Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero. In the play, Oedipus unknowingly has cursed the entire town of Thebes. He was cursedRead MoreOedipus Rex : The Tragic Hero735 Words   |  3 Pagesa hero must possess a tragic flaw that leads to his or her ruin. An example that backs up this argument is Sophocles’s tragedian play, Oedipus Rex, in which its protagonist was a victim of such fatal flaws that caused ruination in his life. In this case, Oedipus tragic flaws were both his anger and his pride. Furthermore, the fate that Oedipus suffered because of such flaws not only caused his downfall, but also the death of those he cherished. The tragic flaws that Oedipus possessed made fate andRead MoreThe Tragic Hero Of Sophocles Oedipus The King1518 Words   |  7 Pagesaudiences so well. A tragic hero plays the most essential role in this. Tragic heroes can be defined differently for whoever is trying to force a character into the tragic hero mold. However Aristotle, the great Greek philosopher, established an outline of th e requirements a tragic hero has to meet in order to be considered one. These requirements include a downfall, a hamartia, and recognition of said tragic hero’s condition. Oedipus, the protagonist of Sophocles’ play Oedipus The King fits the mold.Read MoreA Comparative of Shakespeares Othello and Oedipus Rex1511 Words   |  6 PagesShakespeare’s Othello and Oedipus Rex In Shakespeare’s work Othello: The Moor of Venice, Othello’s over trusting nature was revealed when his trust in false accusations about his wife Desdemona’s unfaithfulness causes him to kill her and himself, conveying Othello as a tragic hero. Oedipus, the main character in Oedipus Rex, is characterized as a tragic hero when he tries to run away from his fate and finds out that the cause of his fate was his attempt to escape it. Oedipus Rex and Othello share aRead MoreJocasta as a Tragic Hero Essay1222 Words   |  5 Pages2012 Upholding Jocasta as the Tragic Hero What makes a tragic hero? Aristotle lays down groundwork of a tragic hero as being essentially good. They are neither villain nor saint because they have flaws. Several elememts are nevcesary to have a tragic hero, they are the tragic flaw, the reversal, recognition, and hubris. These generally make up the story of the tragic hero, and in the case of Jocasta, the wife and mother of Oedipus in Sophocles’ Oedipus the King, she posses all three. Yet sheRead MoreHamlet vs. Oedipus Essay898 Words   |  4 Pagesby William Shakespeare and Oedipus in Oedipus King by Sophocles In Aristotles literary discourse, Poetics, he discusses his theory of tragedy, wherein he introduces the concepts of tragic flaw or hamartia, which serves as the catalyst for the protagonists downfall or the tragedy of the story to happen. He determines a tragedy as a drama that brings about a sorrowful conclusion, arousing fear and pity in the audience (Roberts and Jacobs, 1998:1189). Tragic stories are identified through