Oedipus the King Essay - 1611 Words

How Fate and Oedipus’s own essential nature combine to make him a tragic hero? â€Å"Oedipus the King† by Sophocles is a very good play which talks about a guy who was fated to kill his father and married his mother. Aristotle defines â€Å"tragic hero as a person of great stature and virtue who becomes aware of a mortal defect within himself.† This defect leads to great tragedy. Oedipus’s own essential nature makes him a tragic hero because his ignorance (lack of knowledge) led him to his own destruction. Also Fate plays an important role in make Oedipus a tragic hero because fate is a calamitous or unfavorable outcome or result; death; destruction, or downfall. (www.thefreedictionary.com) Fate at Oedipus the King plays an important role†¦show more content†¦One day someone told Oedipus that he was not a blood son of the Kings of Corinth and this bothered him, so he decided to go to the oracle at Delphi and ask about his blood parents. The oracle told him that he was fated to kill his father and married his mother. Fate plays an important role in this part because here is the beginning of Oedipus tragedy because he tries to avoid the oracles prophecy and he went to Thebes where the tragedy takes place. â€Å"Sophocles has provided a conclusive answer to those who suggest that Oedipus could, and therefore should, have avoided his fate. The oracle was unconditional: it did not say ‘If you do so-and-so you will kill your father’; it simply said ‘You will kill your father; you will sleep with your mother.’ And what an oracle predicts is bound to happen. Oedipus does what he can to evade his destiny; he resolves never to see his supposed parents again. But it is quite certain from the first that his best efforts will be unavailing.† (Dodds 69) Oedipus’s own essential nature makes him an arrogant man, we can see an example of this at page 612, â€Å"Here I am myself – you all know m e, the world knows my fame: I am Oedipus.† We can see another example where Oedipus pride and arrogance makes him believes himself as equal to or superior to a God (Hubris). â€Å"You pray to the gods? Let me grant your prayers.† (618) Because of his arrogance (Hubris) he suggested that the killer of Laius must beShow MoreRelatedOedipus The King Of Oedipus868 Words   |  4 Pageschallenge that waits upon one. Confidence overpowers cockiness. The cocky trait is heavily represented in the story â€Å"Oedipus the King† (c. 430 B.C.) by Sophocles. In the story, Oedipus the king of Thebes has the cocky trait and it results in torture for life. Oedipus’s arrogant personality shows throughout the story as he tries to find the killer of the former king of Thebes, his father. Oedipus tends to deem himself as a god throughout the story which plays a big role in interaction with people around himRead MoreOedipus The King : Oedipus1328 Words   |  6 PagesOedipus the King Oedipus had a lot of different character traits both good and bad. He had a good conscience; he cared deeply for the people in his life and protected them. He was very empathetic, smart and a dependable man who lived his life with great integrity. He was an honest man with strong moral principles and lived a righteous life. He found it difficult to live anything less than a righteous life; when he realized what had become of his life, his guilty conscience consumed him. 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Robert Fagles goes even further by saying tha t†theatre was not only a religious festival; it was also an aspect of the city’s political life.† (Fagles) . Greek dramas were presented only twice a year during religious festivals that honored Dionysus, the god of wines