Oedipus Flaws

“There is an ancient quarrel between philosophy and poetry” (Plato 607d). In this quarrel, Socrates and his interlocutors concluded that poetry should be banished from Kallipolis (their ideal city) because poetry is three times removed from the truth, represents the gods in disgraceful ways, and causes humans to unnecessarily experience negative emotions. In his Poetics, Aristotle directly opposes the Socratic idea of the futility of poetry, positing that poetry aims to get at the truth and that poetry helps one gain better control of his emotions through catharsis (which is the purification or purgation of emotions). Aristotle would argue that flaws in the gods and epic heroes are needed for a good tragedy plot, helping the audience understand the

This essay will highlight the tragic flaws of these characters, explore the consequences of these flaws, and identify what the audience can learn from these characters.

The story of Oedipus has infiltrated many arenas of thought including psychology, philosophy, digital media, and many mediums of art. The story’s popularity stems from the shocking nature of the fate of Oedipus. The tragic hero is destined to kill his father and have sex with mother. However, the story of Oedipus is even more interesting when combined with his fatal character flaws: hubris and ignorance. Oedipus’ character flaws impact his scenario in three main ways. The first impact is when Oedipus first leaves Corinth. Upon hearing that he is destined to have sex with his mother and kill his father, Oedipus concludes that leaving his hometown is the best course of action to avoiding the prophecy. (Unfortunately, Oedipus is unaware that the parents who raised him are not his biological parents.) On the path from Corinth, Oedipus meets a band of travelers who he defeats in battle. Oedipus’ hubris drives him to engage these travelers, but his ignorance drives him to kill a man that is around the age of a person who could be the age