Who Is Oedipus A Hero

Oedipus Rex by Sophocles centers on the life of Oedipus, king of Thebes. The play starts with the reveal of the plague that has hit Thebes. Oedipus is shown as the caring hero of Thebes. Oedipus tries to adhere to good moral values, though is not above harming those who offend him. Oedipus is a good king, as it is shown his genuine care for his people’s sufferings. He is caring, but he can also be quick to anger as well. This negative attribute brought on the negative consequences to Thebes, as his anger caused the plague by unknowingly killing the pervious king of Thebes. His anger may be considered his fatal flaw. As his anger invariably brought upon his downfall.
Oedipus could be considered a heroic character. One example of his heroism,

is when Oedipus defeated the Sphinx. By defeating the Sphinx, He helped the people of Thebes, the priest says “You saved us From the Sphinx” (1308). This play is dominated by prophesies made about the main characters, particularly Oedipus. Oedipus refuses to accept his fate in the prophecy, because it predicts bad fortunes. It predict bad moral decisions in Oedipus’s life that he was not aware of and Oedipus does not want to accept these terrible things. Fate and free-will are so closely intertwined that it can be hard to determine which one determines the characters’ lives. I believe it is a little of both. The characters had the free-will to decide their actions, but it is fate that they use their free-will to make those decisions. As it is said in the play “Since Fate rules us and nothing can be foreseen? A man should live only for the present day.” (1332).