The Tragic Hero of Oedipus the King

"Writing About Drama" in the book, Literature for Composition, describes the world's greatest plays written before the 20th century as either tragedy or comedy. In a tragic play, the tragic hero usually does some fearful deed which ultimately destroys him. The main character of a tragic play does a good deed which in turn makes him a hero. This hero reaches his prime, and in the end a fearful deed which he had committed earlier, ultimately destroys this man once called hero. Oedipus the king of Thebes is an example of this tragic hero.

Oedipus who is the main character in Oedipus the King was the hero of Thebes. This king "disenthralled us (the city of Thebes) from the Sphinx" (p 6). and in turn he became "Oedipus... most respected king" (p6). Oedipus was respected by the people of Thebes, because he saved the city from the Sphinx, by answering the riddle.

When the city suffers another plague, as a promise to save this city of Thebes again, Oedipus sends Creon, his "royal brother" (pp8) to ask the almighty Apollo how to save the city again. Creon came back from Delphi and told Oedipus what the prince, Apollo said.

"...The Prince Apollo openly enjoins on us

to sever from the body politic

a monstrous growth that battens there:

stop feeding that which festers." -- (p8)

Oedipus asks Creon who it might be that the city must banish, and Creon in turn reports:

"And now clearly is required

the just blood of his (Laius) assassins...

Here, says the god. Seek and you shall find..." -- (p9)

The king, wanting his city to return to the rich city he once knew, seeks to find the one who killed Laius. Oedipus discovers that the child of king Laius, and queen Jocasta was done away with. As he seeks for the reason for this child bei...

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...m those it never should,

Myself entwined with those I never could.

And I the killer of those I never would." -- (p67)

Oedipus is an example of this tragic hero, because he ultimately commits fearful deeds. He kills his father and marries his mother. Oedipus is damned for his fearful deed and, because of his deed he had almost destroyed the city of Thebes. Right after the death of Laius the kingdom didn't have a ruler, and the Sphinx took advantage of that. The gods were unhappy as a result of the death of Laius, and the city of Thebes was once again damned. This time it was the plague. The actions of this tragic hero at the end catch up with him and destroys him. He was the king of Thebes, but in the end he was a blind man who hated himself for his actions, Oedipus can be described as the tragic hero that commits some fearful deed which ultimately destroys him.