May 17, · In the play, the country of Thebes is stricken by a great plague, and king Oedipus, being a noble leader, is determined to find the solution of ending the scourge. A determined Oedipus goes on a quest of determining the truth behind his parentage and the old prophecy. After a thorough investigation, he traces the trail of the prophecy, and it falls onto him Mar 01, · Oedipus the King: A Tragic Hero Sophocles’, Oedipus Rex is probably the most famous tragedy ever written. Oedipus Rex is the story of a King of Thebes upon whom a hereditary curse is placed and who therefore has to suffer the tragic consequences of fate Mar 25, · Sophocles play Oedipus Rex maintains a character, in Oedipus, that meets Aristotle’s criteria of a tragic hero: 1) he held noble statute; 2) he was a good king; 3) he caused his own downfall; 4) his downfall was not entirely deserved; 5) he gained self-knowledge; and 6) he evoked solemn emotions throughout the play
How Is Oedipus a Tragic Hero - Free Essay Example on SupremeStudy
In the play, the country of Thebes is stricken by a great plague, and king Oedipus, being a noble leader, is determined to find the solution of ending the scourge. A determined Oedipus goes on a quest of determining the truth behind his parentage and the old prophecy.
After a thorough investigation, he traces the trail of the prophecy, and it falls onto him, oedipus tragic hero essay. Thomas De Quincey argues that the Oedipus was guilty right from the moment he solved the riddle of the sphinx. De Quincey places Oedipus as the scape goat of his actions. Oedipus tragic hero essay, other scholars such as Dodds, Gould, Kitano and Sommerstein provide sufficient evidence that refute with the claims of scholars such as De Quincey.
Therefore, in this narrative, the paper will refute to the claims of de Quincey that places Oedipus as responsible and provides sufficient evidence from the other scholars that Oedipus actions are misunderstood, and he should not be held culpable. Although scholars have argued that actions that precede Oedipus should be justified, I argue that the Oedipus guilt has been misunderstood, oedipus tragic hero essay. Oedipus was a mere victim of a prophecy foretold by the god.
Thus, the actions that preceded his life cannot be justified, and the sins of his parents should not be carried forward. Dodds argues that there is a misunderstanding in the narrative of Oedipus and his action should not be taken as poetic justice for his sins Dodds Majority of the people take the actions of Oedipus as justifiable seeing as how he treats other characters such as Creon and argue that it is legitimate for the gods to extend the curse on him. Dodds also claims that Oedipus is a flaw in accordance to the Aristotle view.
The action in the play has been brought out to indicate that he deserves the horrors due to his pride and the treatment toward Creon and the Oracle Dodds However, in understanding of Oedipus as the villain of the narrative, it is essential to understand the role that the author had fashioned for him.
Determining whether Oedipus is a right person creates a double entendre since his character is portrayed as neither sinister of too noble Dodds For instance, as the story unfolds, he comes off as the hero having saved the city from the Sphinx.
However, his attitude at the crossroads paints him with a different picture. Nonetheless, being on the Aristotelian view, it is possible to derive that the rhetoric employed in the narrative is used to bring out the ignorance in Oedipus based on the occurrence of the events Dodds Despite the theme of ignorance, one cannot forget that some of the actions happened independently, thus justifying them would create a bias.
The narrative of Oedipus draws parallels with that of Thyestes which features a man eating the fresh of his child without his knowledge, oedipus tragic hero essay. Notably, creating the contrast enables one to identify the point of view about Aristotle regarding the justification of the narrative Dodds In the story, Oedipus acts are natural pollution considering the incestuous nature and killing his father, oedipus tragic hero essay.
Had Oedipus committed the acts with prior knowledge, it would depict him as a person without conscious and deservedly of any oedipus tragic hero essay. The great misunderstanding comes in from the fact that most people do not understand the traditional narrative where the hero had a tragic flaw Dodds The fatal flaw allowed the audience to develop pity for the character.
On the other hand, the author has posited that Oedipus could not have avoided his fate. For instance, during the prophecy, the Oracle did not provide conditions under which the oedipus tragic hero essay would occur Dodds Instead, the oracle provides straight answers in that, oedipus tragic hero essay, Oedipus would kill his father and betroth his mother.
Oedipus tries his best to avoid the action, but it comes out that fate had already determined the path which Oedipus would follow. Consequently, the majority of the people may perceive the actions of Oedipus drawn by the gods to make him a puppet of his fate Dodds However, one must keep mind that no one forced Oedipus to find out the truth.
In most occasions, the messengers and Jocasta pleaded with him not to continue with the investigations Dodds However, it is his passion and desire to see that Thebes was lead of the plague that led him to seek for justice. Although he got the news, he did not anticipate one cannot flaw him for the nature of finding the truth Dodds As a result, it would be hypocritical to justify Oedipus guilt because he is a leader who acted for the greater good on the nation he was leading.
According to Sommerstein, the Athenian law fund people who had committed sins such a sleeping with their kin or homicide to be detrimental sins Sommerstein Additionally, killing a person on the oedipus tragic hero essay such as the fight that ensued between Oedipus and Laius is culpable. In other words, Oedipus had committed all these forms of his evil oedipus tragic hero essay warrants people to think that he deserved the hereditary curse that followed him Sommerstein However, in the case of Oedipus, his crimes would have been punishable had it been established that he tried to kill his father with the firm knowledge, but the act that he did not comprehend his relationship with Laius indicates that Athenian law would not have found him culpable as he is obliged to strike back when provoked.
Additionally, depending on the nature of the incidence, Oedipus was traveling alone in the darkness thus giving him the entitlement of self-defense Gould According to Gould, it is justifiable that Oedipus chose to gauge his eyes upon realizing the offenses he had committed.
The actions of gouging his yes could justify his actions Gould However; one has to sympathize with the nature of the occurrence and that Oedipus was oblivious of the events, oedipus tragic hero essay.
To conclude this discussion, it would be wrong to crucify Oedipus for his actions. Although the majority of the actions that had been prophesied came true, one could argue that the ambiguity of the situation did not provide oedipus tragic hero essay for Oedipus. Additionally, the forecast did not have conditions hence one would be obliged to conclude that Oedipus was culpable. However, oedipus tragic hero essay, taking into account the nature of the events and the constant attempts of Oedipus to avoid moving the prophesied direction one could conclude that he was a victim of circumstance.
Oedipus did not deserve the heredity curse that occurred to him due to the negligence of his biological parents. Instead, the reader should justify the actions of Oedipus based on his love to see that Thebes was free from the plague that had stricken them. Oedipus should not be guilty of his actions, but instead, his parents should be the ones to bear the brunt of injustice Gould When Laius was the king, he took in Jocasta as one of his wives.
However, oedipus tragic hero essay, the oracle warned him against bearing a child because the child would eventually end up killing him and taking Jocasta as one of his wives.
Oedipus tragic hero essay narrative indicates that Laius had been sufficiently warned by the gods Gould Therefore, oedipus tragic hero essay against them would ultimately lead to a curse befalling them.
Additionally, the prophecy indicates that both prophesy had sufficient information regarding the outcomes and actions contradicting the forecast can be deciphered as ignorance. Nonetheless, in one night, a drunken Laius sleeps with the wife and ends up having a son.
The fact that they conceived a child together indicated that they had already gone against the prophecy and the outcomes would be evident Kitano However, they give the child to be exposed to the wilderness.
However, out of pity, one shepherd gives the child to a childless loyal couple. Therefore, the conception of the prophecy can be rightfully blamed on the recklessness of Laius for not taking hid of the warning given to him. Oedipus can be referred to as collateral damage for the mistakes committed by his parents Kitano Additionally, in as much people find Oedipus guilty and justify his action, it is wrong that he had to be punished by the gods. Aside from the biological parents, the adoptive parent of Oedipus should also be held liable for the actions instead of Oedipus Kitano For instance, oedipus tragic hero essay, the adoptive parents led Oedipus to believe that he was their biological child.
Notably, had the parents been right about the origins of Oedipus, he would have probably avoided some of the actions. However, despite the efforts, the gods had already predetermined the fate of Oedipus, thus making him a pawn to the oedipus tragic hero essay scheme. Notably, when Oedipus learned of the prophecy, he abandoned his adoptive parents to avoid the outcomes that would follow.
The actions indicate that Oedipus was a self-conscious person who was determined to prevent the occurrence of the prophecy, which would see him kill his father and betroth his mother Kitano However, had the adoptive parents provided Oedipus with sufficient knowledge of his origins they would have prevented the outcomes. As a result, oedipus tragic hero essay, the narrative indicates that Oedipus had not acted out of ignorance about the prophecy but acted with diligence to avoid the curse Kitano In reality, whichever direction that he chose to follow, the gods had already cast their fate on Oedipus as there was no stopping the events that had been planned.
According to Kitano the murder of the crossroad was ambiguous for Oedipus to figure out that he was going to kill Laius Kitano Jocasta revealed to Oedipus that the killing of Laius had been told and it occurred at the crossroads after a fight with the bandits, oedipus tragic hero essay.
Upon probing the situation, Oedipus realizes that he had a hand in the murder. However, a closer look indicates that there is no manner in which Oedipus could have determined that he was going to kill his biological father. During the ordeal, oedipus tragic hero essay, he had fled from his parents to avoid the fulfilling the prophecy but unintentionally ended up killing his father. The act was intentional, thus compounding the fact that there is no way in which Oedipus could have predetermined the actions that would proceed Kitano However, the events create a dilemma because killing a person irrespective of the actions cannot be justified.
The nature of the murder implies that Oedipus tragedy could have been defending Laius at the crossroads. Additionally, the situation brings about poetic justice because Oedipus was being reciprocated punishment for killing an innocent man at the crossroads Kitano Notably, before the murder had occurred, several scholars argue that Oedipus had been responsible for starting the fight.
Irrespective of the person starting the fight, it is clear that the path leading to the battle of the two oblivious characters unfolds the plot of the narrative Kitano Nonetheless, the confession by Oedipus indicate that he had been provoked and acted out of anger, but the situation should not have prompted to act by killing Kitano A step back at the scene indicates that both Laius and Oedipus were liable for the events. However, no justification would have allowed Oedipus to realize that he was killing his father.
Additionally, the actions and reaction oedipus tragic hero essay Oedipus at the crossroads brings about the principle of exceeding, which requires that retaliation should be followed due to the suffering caused Kitano The law posits that regardless of the intentions, his actions had to be followed by actions.
As a result, the principle helps in justifying that Oedipus or Laius cannot be held accountable for the murder at the crossroads. Instead, their actions were driven by instincts of self-defense Kitano Furthermore, oedipus tragic hero essay, the fact both characters ascribed to the same philosophy, of reciprocity, it goes to show that Oedipus cannot be held liable for the guild and the flaw in the character.
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Skip to content In the play, the country of Thebes is stricken by a great plague, and king Oedipus, being a noble leader, is determined to find the solution of ending the scourge. Works Cited Dodds, Erec Robertson. Gould, Thomas. Kitano, oedipus tragic hero essay, Masahiro. Sommerstein, Alan H. Estudios Griegos e Indoeuropeos, vol.
Oedipus Rex as a Tragic Hero by Sophocles
, time: 11:32Oedipus Exemplifies a Tragic Hero Free Essay Example
Sep 06, · A tragic hero is a character who makes a judgment error that eventually leads to their downfall. Oedipus is an example about a tragic hero. The play is about a tragic hero, Oedipus. He did not have control over his fate, since he was prophesied from birth. When he was an infant, an prophet prophesied that he would kill his father and marry his mother Mar 25, · Sophocles play Oedipus Rex maintains a character, in Oedipus, that meets Aristotle’s criteria of a tragic hero: 1) he held noble statute; 2) he was a good king; 3) he caused his own downfall; 4) his downfall was not entirely deserved; 5) he gained self-knowledge; and 6) he evoked solemn emotions throughout the play Dec 01, · By definition, Oedipus is the tragic hero in Oedipus the King because he is noble, he is good, but commits an act of injustice through ignorance, his downfall is his own fault, his misfortune is not wholly deserved, and because his tragic fall is not one of pure loss. How to cite Oedipus, a Tragic Hero? essayEstimated Reading Time: 7 mins
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