Pride In Oedipus Rex

Tragedies, according to Aristotle, arouse pity and fear in the reader. In Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, for example, the reader may feel sorry for the two lovers who met an untimely demise, while also thinking about their own experiences with a loved one. Perhaps the reader will develop a greater sense of fear for the role of fate in human life. Furthermore, Aristotle argued that a tragic hero is a decent man with mixed qualities, who, through error in judgement, moves from a state of happiness to a state of misery. The hero is human, so relatable to the reader, and possesses a tragic flaw. In his play, Oedipus Rex, Sophocles presents Oedipus, the king of Thebes, as the tragic hero. At the start of the play, Thebes is plagued with sickness,

Unfortunately, for Oedipus, the truth was “…understood too late” (Sophocles, 66) and now he must live with his fate. Nevertheless, Oedipus gains something from his fall; he apprehends the sin of his hubris, his pride. Furthermore, he confronts his own ignorance, which Sophocles emphasizes through the theme of blindness: “‘Too long been blind to those for whom I was searching!’” (Sophocles, 69). Oedipus proceeds to blind himself, which parallels his previous “blindness” or ignorance. Moreover, Oedipus was not just ignorant, but willfully so. Forgetting his pride, he takes responsibility for his actions. Even though Apollo assigned Oedipus his “sick fate,” the “blinding hand was [his] own,” and Oedipus believes his “punishment” is “just” (Sophocles, 72, 73). The act of blinding himself was not only an act of justice for Oedipus, but also an expression of the truth: he had lived in blindness, and now he is actually blind. However, the reader is unsatisfied with this action because it seems too harsh, more than he deserves. Oedipus is a victim of fate, retaining innocence in that he cannot control his destiny. Therefore, the Aristotelian understanding of a tragedy holds true: the reader pities Oedipus, but also equates Oedipus’ fate with his own