Preview

Oedipus the King

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1612 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Oedipus the King
How Fate and Oedipus’s own essential nature combine to make him a tragic hero? “Oedipus the King” by Sophocles is a very good play which talks about a guy who was fated to kill his father and married his mother. Aristotle defines “tragic hero as a person of great stature and virtue who becomes aware of a mortal defect within himself.” This defect leads to great tragedy. Oedipus’s own essential nature makes him a tragic hero because his ignorance (lack of knowledge) led him to his own destruction. Also Fate plays an important role in make Oedipus a tragic hero because fate is a calamitous or unfavorable outcome or result; death; destruction, or downfall. (www.thefreedictionary.com) Fate at Oedipus the King plays an important role because it was the force that causes all the events to happen. Fate makes Oedipus a tragic hero. Also, Oedipus’s own essential nature (ignorance, arrogance, pride, virtues, persistency, and efficacy) makes him a tragic hero because of his nature Oedipus believes himself as equal or superior to a God. (Hubris) Although when he is an arrogant man he has a lot of virtues which make him a good King. His persistency and efficacy as a leader was part of his nature and because of these he wants to know who kill the King Laius. He wanted to know that because when he knows who murderer the former king, he can exile him of Thebes and also he could put an end to the plague.
At the beginning of the play Apollo’s oracle at Delphi predestined King Laius future. It was that, he was fated to be murdered by his own son, and also his son was fated to marry his mother and have sons.(631) So when his first son (Oedipus) born Laius and Jocasta decided to kill him trying to avoid the oracles prophecies. He sends a shepherd to kill his son Oedipus, but the kindly shepherd decided not to kill the boy and he gave the baby boy to another shepherd who was a shepherd that works to the King of Corinth. Then, the shepherd decided to give the baby boy to the
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Comparing Hamlet And Oedipus The King
    • 241 Words
    • 1 Page

    Comparing Hamlet And Oedipus The King

    Aristotle defines a tragic hero as a man of noble and high status, whose admirable qualities and basic goodness are undermined by a fatal flaw, which ultimately leads to their own downfall. Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Sophocles’ Oedipus the King both show an excellent example of tragic heroes as both protagonists experience a downfall from a high status due to their fatal flaws. In Hamlet this flaw can be seen in Hamlet as he becomes determined to find his father’s killer. He becomes oblivious to what is going on around him. Oedipus is so determined to find out the truth of who the murderer of the previous king is, such that he is blinded to the truth of what he has done. As seen in their mental stability, their treatment of women and their reversal…

    • 241 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Oedipus The King: A Tragic Hero
    • 471 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Oedipus The King: A Tragic Hero

    A person of noble birth with heroic or potentially heroic qualities, defines a tragic hero. A young man known by the name Oedipus, died a tragic hero. Throughout his life, he was faced with situations that he just could not surpass which led to his gruesome destiny. He was born into a world where the future held nothing but lies and despair.…

    • 471 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    How Does Oedipus Cause His Own Downfall
    • 983 Words
    • 4 Pages

    How Does Oedipus Cause His Own Downfall

    The role of fate is the power that determines the outcome of events as well as the actions of how people choose what they want to do can contribute to a breakdown of a person. In Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, Oedipus’ own actions through his life contribute to his downfall at the end of the play. It is Oedipus choice to look for answers of his childhood. Oedipus’ blindness to the truth of his life causes him to make a decision to become blind at his downfall. The excessive pride Oedipus has results in his decision to going after king Laios murderer not knowing he is the murderer. The actions of Oedipus are factors in his downfall as he chooses to fill in missing information of his childhood.…

    • 983 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Oedipus Tragic Hero Analysis
    • 1127 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Oedipus Tragic Hero Analysis

    Aristotle once said “A man doesn't become a hero until he can see the root of his own downfall.” (Aristotle) Aristotle actually had a lot of ideas about heroes, specifically tragic heroes. He defined a tragic hero as an individual of high social standing, whose fatal flaw leads him to be brought low in a reversal of fortunes, which he later recognizes before receiving a fate worse than he truly deserves. One of the most famous characters from a play in the tragedy genre is Oedipus. His tale is one of destiny, hope, and finally sorrow. The question posed, however, is whether or not Oedipus really does fit this model of a tragic hero. Oedipus must be a nobleman and have his own tragic flaw that causes him to experience a reversal of fortunes…

    • 1127 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Destiny In Oedipus The King
    • 669 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Destiny In Oedipus The King

    Oedipus blinds himself in shame, accepting full responsibility for poising the city and willingly takes the punishment of exile. In the end, Oedipus’ arrogance led to his downfall. He lost his wife, his eyesight and his kingship. He uncovered the riddles of his life and found out that he was the boy who was the subject of the prophecy. His intelligence, egotism and arrogance led to this finding which caused him losing all that he had. The resolution of his life puts Oedipus above any other tragic hero. He unravels his life in a way that pushes the limits of agony a human can take and there he finds incomparable greatness of…

    • 669 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Oedipus The King Research Paper
    • 526 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Oedipus The King Research Paper

    Oedipus The King is most likely one of the greatest tragedies ever recorded. This play tells the story of the great downfall of a once honored king who by the end of the story, becomes a great curse. This is mainly due to his great sense of pride. It was believed by the Greeks that people with this immense pride thought that they were above the gods. Aristotle believed that the protagonist of every tragedy must have some type of tragic flaw that will eventually lead to his demise. To Oedipus ,of Oedipus The King, pride is his tragic flaw that leads to his downfall. Some examples of his pride taking over him were: when he correctly answered the Sphinx’s riddle, when he abandoned his adoptive parents in Corinth, and when he killed Laius in the crossroads.…

    • 526 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Oedipus The King: A Tragic Analysis
    • 1506 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Oedipus The King: A Tragic Analysis

    A tragic hero is defined as “a [great] man who is neither a paragon of virtue and justice nor undergoes the change to misfortune through any real badness or wickedness but because of some mistake” (“Aristotle”, n.d.). Therefore, a tragic hero has some sort of tragedy that surrounds their life. A tragic hero also makes dramas more interesting and makes readers think. Dramas sometimes either exemplify or refute Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero. Oedipus by Sophocles exemplifies Aristotle’s definition in four different aspects. The first aspect involves both Oedipus’ ignorance and knowledge of his life situations, the second involves his hamartia, the third involves the actual plot itself, and the fourth involves the characterization of…

    • 1506 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Oedipus Rex
    • 456 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Oedipus Rex

    The premise of the play is how Oedipus’s decisions unknowingly lead to his fate. Oedipus was free to make his own decisions, and his decisions tied in with his fate. Oedipus did not know that all his decisions would lead to the killing of his father and the marrying of his mother. Oedipus was a very stubborn and curious person; he forced the servant of Laios and also Teiresias to tell him the truth about his past, even though neither one wanted him to know the truth. The servant stated, “… if I speak the truth, I am worse than dead” (p.165). Both warned Oedipus that he did not want to…

    • 456 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Oedipus The King
    • 1192 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Oedipus The King

    However, if the people chose not to speak up and were covering up for a family or friend they will be banished and not spoken to or able to attend religious activities. He will be cursed and live a life in misery. Oedipus summoned Tiresias as suggested by Creon and also the chorus. When Oedipus asked Tiresias of whom the murderer is, Tiresias refuses to say anything and…

    • 1192 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Oedipus the king
    • 504 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Oedipus the king

    “Oedipus the King” was a tale depicting the human experience; each human has a great victory, shortly accompanied by a great demise; the rollercoaster of life. Oedipus had his great success soon become the reason for his fall. With Oedipus’ deadly flaw being ‘hubris’; his excessive pride led him to believe he was on the level of ‘gods’. Once he paraded that he was invulnerable (untouchable by even the gods), his fall would be all the more tragic. Throughout the tale however, Oedipus uses many rhetorical devices towards all his subjects without even recognizing.…

    • 504 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Oedipus
    • 351 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Oedipus

    * showcase your critical thinking skills through analysis and insight and must demonstrate control of the topic at hand.…

    • 351 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Oedipus the King
    • 965 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Oedipus the King

    In this play, Oedipus the King, there are any references to eyes, sight, and the lacks thereof are made throughout Oedipus the King. There are parts where characters have limited physical sight, such as Teiresias's blindness, and there are also parts where their sight, in the form of perception, is limited. Most importantly, sight is used in the play as a symbol for knowledge, such as the how the oracles and the "seer" (16), Teiresias, can 'see' the truth. The play is about Oedipus's quest for knowledge and his attempts to avoid his fate. The underlying question of Oedipus the King is if one can escape their fate. Sophocles presents this question by using sight as a symbol for knowledge, and then leaves guidance for answering the question by showing that being sighted or blind can determine if one can control their fate.…

    • 965 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Oedipus the King
    • 502 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Oedipus the King

    Of all the tragedies that Greek playwright Sophocles created in his illustrious career, the one that stands out as his masterpiece, and quite possibly one of the greatest of all the Greek tragedies is Oedipus the King. The tragedy focuses on the life and downfall of the unfortunate King Oedipus, who was condemned by the oracle at an early age to murder his father and marry his mother. Despite the oracle’s grim prediction, Oedipus was responsible for his own downfall due to his overly proud and impetuous attitude, and his own intellect and diligence.…

    • 502 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Oedipus the King
    • 1115 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Oedipus the King

    Oedipus the King by Sophocles is about Oedipus, a man doomed by his fate. Like most tragedies, “Oedipus the King” contains a tragic hero, a heroic figure unable to escape his/her own doom. This tragic hero usually has a hamartia or a tragic flaw which causes his/hers’ downfall. The tragic flaw that Sophocles gives Oedipus is hubris (exaggerated pride or self-confidence), which is what caused Oedipus to walk right into the fate he sought to escape.…

    • 1115 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Oedipus
    • 835 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Oedipus

    1. After Oedipus blinds himself I think that he does show his previous pride. I was surprised when he blinded himself after seeing his wife/mother dead as she committed suicide. When he came out in front of the public he displayed his pride as confidently as he had when he could see. He wanted the public to know about what he has done, i.e. killing his father and marrying his mother, and he demands to receive the punishment that any normal citizen would receive. He shows his self-confidence after his blinding because even when he is blind he shouts, “’open the doors, someone: show me to all the people of Thebes…’” (Knox 94), which shows that even though he is physically impaired, he has enough confidence that he can leave his home and reveal his face. Usually when a person has more power, such as Oedipus did as King, they expect to be treated differently, but Oedipus expected to be treated like a citizen would be treated for his crimes. From my personal opinion, I think that Oedipus seems completely defeated by the blinding. On page 95 Oedipus says, “Darkness, dark cloud all around me, enclosing me, unspeakable darkness…”. Darkness has a known connotation for depression and sadness. This sentence is very negative and he uses dark words that express his sadness and guilt. Depression is normally linked with darkness and clouds, compared to sun as happy, and when he used “darkness” and “dark cloud” it is evident that Oedipus is crushed to find that what the prophets had said was true. While Oedipus has the same level of confidence, I believe, from the context, that he is distraught over the recent events.…

    • 835 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More

Related Topics