Oedipus as a Tragic Hero
Oedipus is considered a tragic hero. Characteristics of a tragic hero are, the tragic hero must be born of noble birth which means a high class /rank. The character is in between being exceptionally good and exceptionally evil. The tragic hero’s misfortune or downfall is brought by some error of judgment that comes from some inner flaw or weakness, not because of some horrible thing he has done. And finally the tragic hero goes through one or more reversals of fortune leading up to a final recognition of truth that has remained hidden from him. In the process of his experiences profound suffering. This leads to the audience feeling pity and fear for the character. Oedipus is from noble birth, a high social class/ rank. Oedipus fits into this by being the son of King Laius and Queen Jacosta. Also, he was raised by the King and Queen of Corinth. Then, the people of Corinth want Oedipus as their King. Finally, he’s the king of Thebes. “You were given to me by one of Laius’s men, I untied you and brought you to Corinth.” () Oedipus shows that he’s neither exceptionally evil nor good by threatening to kill the Shepherd. He is the killer of King Laius. Oedipus is disrespectful and mean to Creon and Tiresias. He is stubborn and blames others. And he scolds the people of Thebes for not finding the killer of the King. “ “ (). But, he does help save Thebes from the sphinx. He vowed to fined Laius’s killer. Oedipus cares for the kingdom. He’s concerned about his daughters. When he finds out that he’s the killer Oedipus punishes himself and feels bad about being mean to Creon. Oedipus has misfortune and down fall brought about by some error in judgment that comes from some inner flaw or weakness, not because of some horrible thing he does. First, he’s stubborn and arrogant. He accuses Creon of trying to steal his thrown. Even though he should have been listening to Creon and Tiresias and believing them. Yet, he was too stubborn and arrogant to believe the