Why Is Oedipus a Hero in the Eyes of the Ancient Greek Audience
Oedipus, in “Oedipus the King” by Sophocles, is by all means a hero in the eyes of the Ancient Greek audience. In order to explain why that is, it is important to understand the meaning of Greek tragedy, as opposed to modern tragedy. How can a hero in a Greek tragedy be defined? The most widely accepted definition of Greek tragedy was written by Aristotle in his “Poetics”, where he details the various characteristics that make a protagonist a hero in a Greek tragedy. Based on Aristotle's definition, there are three main characteristics in “Oedipus the King”, among others, that show that Oedipus is a hero in the eyes of the ancient Greek audience. First, he is a good character, one whose moral choices are good. Second, he is consistent, and acts similarly throughout the play. Third, he has tragic flaws that ultimately cause his downfall.
The first characteristic that makes Oedipus a hero in the eyes of the ancient Greek audience is the fact that he is a good character. After saving the city of Thebes once in the past, by defeating the Sphinx, he does not hesitate to come before his people to review their condition as a plague strikes the city, and promises to save them again. “My spirit grieves for the city... and all of you” shows that he feels for his people and is affected by their poor conditions of life and the city's interest drives him throughout the play in all his actions. Even until the very end when, after promising to curse the murderer of Laius, and as it turns out that he is killer, he keeps his word and asks Creon to “drive (him) out of the land, far from sight” in order to end the plague in Thebes. He also is a loving father to his daughters Antigone and Ismene as he embraces them one last time before being exiled out of Thebes and requests from Creon that he takes good care of them in the future. Oedipus is a man of good intentions in spite of the flaws that he has within himself.
The second characteristic that makes Oedipus a hero in the
The first characteristic that makes Oedipus a hero in the eyes of the ancient Greek audience is the fact that he is a good character. After saving the city of Thebes once in the past, by defeating the Sphinx, he does not hesitate to come before his people to review their condition as a plague strikes the city, and promises to save them again. “My spirit grieves for the city... and all of you” shows that he feels for his people and is affected by their poor conditions of life and the city's interest drives him throughout the play in all his actions. Even until the very end when, after promising to curse the murderer of Laius, and as it turns out that he is killer, he keeps his word and asks Creon to “drive (him) out of the land, far from sight” in order to end the plague in Thebes. He also is a loving father to his daughters Antigone and Ismene as he embraces them one last time before being exiled out of Thebes and requests from Creon that he takes good care of them in the future. Oedipus is a man of good intentions in spite of the flaws that he has within himself.
The second characteristic that makes Oedipus a hero in the