Oedipus Tragic Hero Essay

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Although written after Sophocles crafted The Oedipus Trilogy, Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero fits perfectly with Oedipus. Aristotle, refers to tragic heroes as those who are born of a noble birth fated by the Gods to doom and destruction. The tragic drama involves choices of free will and results in a paradox of whether if fate or free will is responsible for the suffering in the tragic hero’s life. The hero struggles against their fate, which leads to the drama of the downfall and the self-realization of their own self. Oedipus embodies Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero, as he struggles with his own fate, while the audience feels pity and self realization in his downfall. Sophocles's Oedipus, shows that the combination of certain flaws and other human …show more content…

It is exactly this bad decision to which he is blind to his own doing, due to his tragic flaws. Aristotle also defined a tragic hero as having the character's flaw result from something that is also a central part of their virtue, which is Oedipus’ intelligence. Consequently, this need for knowledge pushes Oedipus to discover the truth. His intelligence directly influences his pride and arrogance, as he believes that he would have never been out-wit by the gods. A Tragic hero also usually possesses hubris, or excessive pride. Arrogance and pride virtues also play a role in his fall. Oedipus cannot accept the foretelling about his fate, due to his excessive pride. For this reason, Oedipus rejects the idea that the gods are in control of the lives of humans, and fate all together. This is evidence or his excessive pride and ego, as he believes that he cheat the gods. Oedipus commands information, however damaging it be, because he believes he can handle the truth. “Did you rise to the crisis? Not a word, you and your birds, your gods—nothing. No, but I came by, Oedipus the ignorant, I stopped the Sphinx! With no help from the birds, the flight of my own

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