Oedipus Tragic Hero Essay
The Tragic hero & The Oedipus
1. Oedipus Rex is not only the greatest play of Sophocles but also the greatest Greek play. Aristotle, in the poetics, gives very high praise to the play.
According to Aristotle, the tragic hero is a highly esteemed and prosperous man who falls into misfortune because of some serious hamartia. He particularly gives the example of Oedipus.
Oedipus is closely the intermediate kind of person stipulated by Aristotle, not much wicked, not much virtuous. The complete reversal in his fate is always done, obviously because of hamartia that is accomplished by moral faults in his character and errs of judgment.
Oedipus has a high position of some extraordinary qualities that make him above the common run of man. He asserts …show more content…
in the start,
“I, Oedipus who bear the famous name”.
Priest of Zeus calls him “Great Oedipus; ‘O powerful King’, ‘A king of wisdom’, ‘Noblest of men’, and assures him that ‘no man question your power to rule the land’
2.
Oedipus, being a powerful king and mater of intellect thinks that he can solve every problem. He saved Thebans from the cruel monster (Sphinx) and Thebans believes that he would rescue them from the present suffering of terrible plague, and bring the city back to life. Thebans call him the riddle solver. All these assurances make him over confident.
3. Oedipus sense of thinking is suppressed by the fits of temper, and he ignores certain facts, which are quite apparent. That is why; he does not pay any attention to the prediction make by Teiresias; although he gives important clue about Oedipus’ identity: Oedipus is the most knowledgeable person but becomes the most ignorant. There are some fundamental errors of thinking and judging in him.
4. His tragedy is greater than his fame and honor. His great mind was like a strong bow from where the arrows of solution and knowledge used to draw and aim at the right target, but now he and his mind’s glory are down because of his tragic flaw. He is now, in a state, of agony. His agony is everlasting until he is in this world, and agony is more painful than the physical
pain.
5. However, Oedipus strength to endure truth raises his heroic stature, which distinguish protagonist from ordinary man. In spite of committing suicide, his act of blindness shows man, at his best. Oedipus’ self-blinding is voluntary and self-chosen. It proves that Oedipus still retains some freedom of initiative and is not a puppet in the hands of gods.
6. According to Aristotle the function of tragedy is that of are using pity and fear. In this play, pity and fear are aroused by the fact that Oedipus’ efforts to avoid living with his parents, so that he may not commit the crimes of incest and pesticide, bring him to his parents, whom he might otherwise have never met. There is terror in Oedipus step-by-step progress towards the discovery of Lauis’ murderer for he will become guilty of the most horrible crimes against both his parents.
정리: Oedipus may in fact be rightly regarded as the symbol of human intelligence, which cannot rest until it has solved every riddle, including that of his own tragic and tortuous insignificance and helpless ignorance.
1. Oedipus Rex is not only the greatest play of Sophocles but also the greatest Greek play. Aristotle, in the poetics, gives very high praise to the play.
According to Aristotle, the tragic hero is a highly esteemed and prosperous man who falls into misfortune because of some serious hamartia. He particularly gives the example of Oedipus.
Oedipus is closely the intermediate kind of person stipulated by Aristotle, not much wicked, not much virtuous. The complete reversal in his fate is always done, obviously because of hamartia that is accomplished by moral faults in his character and errs of judgment.
Oedipus has a high position of some extraordinary qualities that make him above the common run of man. He asserts …show more content…
in the start,
“I, Oedipus who bear the famous name”.
Priest of Zeus calls him “Great Oedipus; ‘O powerful King’, ‘A king of wisdom’, ‘Noblest of men’, and assures him that ‘no man question your power to rule the land’
2.
Oedipus, being a powerful king and mater of intellect thinks that he can solve every problem. He saved Thebans from the cruel monster (Sphinx) and Thebans believes that he would rescue them from the present suffering of terrible plague, and bring the city back to life. Thebans call him the riddle solver. All these assurances make him over confident.
3. Oedipus sense of thinking is suppressed by the fits of temper, and he ignores certain facts, which are quite apparent. That is why; he does not pay any attention to the prediction make by Teiresias; although he gives important clue about Oedipus’ identity: Oedipus is the most knowledgeable person but becomes the most ignorant. There are some fundamental errors of thinking and judging in him.
4. His tragedy is greater than his fame and honor. His great mind was like a strong bow from where the arrows of solution and knowledge used to draw and aim at the right target, but now he and his mind’s glory are down because of his tragic flaw. He is now, in a state, of agony. His agony is everlasting until he is in this world, and agony is more painful than the physical
pain.
5. However, Oedipus strength to endure truth raises his heroic stature, which distinguish protagonist from ordinary man. In spite of committing suicide, his act of blindness shows man, at his best. Oedipus’ self-blinding is voluntary and self-chosen. It proves that Oedipus still retains some freedom of initiative and is not a puppet in the hands of gods.
6. According to Aristotle the function of tragedy is that of are using pity and fear. In this play, pity and fear are aroused by the fact that Oedipus’ efforts to avoid living with his parents, so that he may not commit the crimes of incest and pesticide, bring him to his parents, whom he might otherwise have never met. There is terror in Oedipus step-by-step progress towards the discovery of Lauis’ murderer for he will become guilty of the most horrible crimes against both his parents.
정리: Oedipus may in fact be rightly regarded as the symbol of human intelligence, which cannot rest until it has solved every riddle, including that of his own tragic and tortuous insignificance and helpless ignorance.