Oedipus is a play orchestrated by Sophocles, which exemplifies Aristotle's definition of a tragic hero. Aristotle states that a tragic hero is, on the contrary, a respected figure in the society but his destruction is inevitable, "tragedy is an imitation of action of high importance, acted by means of pity and fear affecting his purgation” (Knox, 1992). Aristotle expresses that a distinguished person is not perfect and poor decision-making contributes to a shocking ending. Aristotle uses the word "harmatia” to describe the tragic nature of the character’s weakness once he starts plummeting into misery. The downfall of a noble character is full of moral denial and at some point seems unjustifiable in one way or another. Sophocle’s Oedipus blends seamlessly with the description of Aristotle’s tragic hero who orchestrates his downfall but at the same time it is not his fault.
Aristotle's description of tragedy mentions that one of Oedipus' flaws is excessive pride which he describes using the word "hubris." His pride gives him a sense of self-righteousness, which makes him a poor decision maker. These characters contradict with Oedipus’ greatness and influence which his people adore. Oedipus is used as an example of how great leaders and influential persons fail to live to their expectations because of self-inflicted flaws. A tragic hero has the chance to learn from his mistakes and redeem himself; otherwise, failure to do so is met with an inevitable downfall. Sophocles’ Oedipus blends seamlessly with the description of Aristotle’s tragic hero who orchestrates his downfall but at the same time, it is not his fault.
Outline
Title: Oedipus Exemplifies Aristotle’s Tragic Hero
Thesis:
Sophocles’ Oedipus blends seamlessly with the description of Aristotle’s tragic hero who orchestrates his downfall but at the same time, it is not his fault.
I. Introduction
a) Thesis
b) Description of a tragic hero.
c) Exemplification of Oedipus as Aristotle’s tragic hero.
II. Oedipus as a tragic hero
a) Oedipus and Prophet Teiresias: The prophet sets in motion Oedipus downfall through his revelations.
b) Oedipus self-awareness: Oedipus learns of his background, origin and past deeds.
c) King Laios’ death: Oedipus learns that he killed his father, King Laios.
d) Oedipus returns home: Summarizes the repercussions of Oedipus journey back home.
e) Oedipus curses sons: Describes the aftermath of killing his father.
f) Oedipus’ blindness: Highlights the downfall of a tragic hero
III. Conclusion
a) Emphasize on the thesis
b) Traits of a tragic hero
c) Summarize parallels between Oedipus and Aristotle’s tragic hero
Oedipus and Prophet Teiresias
The people of Thebes look up to Oedipus as their God sent leader who offers them guidance and sound advice. Oedipus sets up a series of events that culminate in his unexpected failure. Oedipus pursues truth and forces Teiresias to disclose his identity as well as mention who his father is. Teiresias states, “I say you and your most dearly loved are wrapped together in a hideous sin” (Sophocles, 2015). He tries to warn Oedipus not to pursue the truth since what she would be catastrophic news to Oedipus. The revealing marks the beginning of a tormenting period as Teiresias says, “You are the murderer of the king whose murderer you seek” (Sophocles, 2015).
Oedipus’ self-awareness
Aristotle uses the element of self-awareness as one of the reasons that contribute to the rise of a tragic hero. Oedipus is on a fishing expedition trying to learn about his childhood and his origin. He learns that his parents had disposed him off when he was just three days old because it was foreseen that he was to kill his father. He is rescued by shepherds and ends up growing up in Corinth where he was named Oedipus, which in Greek means "swollen feet." His swollen feet was a result of how his parents had tied his legs when they threw him away. Aristotle mentions that revelation is a turning point for a tragic hero who acts upon his new findings. Oedipus' character is reversed true to Aristotle's words that a reversal is “an action that turns out to have the opposite effect from the one the doer intended (Lazzarini, 2015)". The once noble man turns into a tragic hero.
King Laios’ Death
Oedipus’ true character as a tragic hero comes out clearly in his quest to unearth who was responsible for King Laios’ death. Oedipus deploys all his resources to find the killer as he says, “if any man knows by whose hand Laios, son of Labdakos met his death; I direct them to tell me everything” (Sophocles, 2015). Oedipus and his people had felt the wrath of drought and as one prophet Teiresias advice, only by finding the killer would the drought end. Oedipus is shocked to hear the prophet reveal that Oedipus was indeed the killer. Oedipus' reaction is a mixture of self-righteousness and pride as he remarks, "here I am, myself, world-famous Oedipus, have you no shame"? (Sophocles, 2015). Oedipus later confirms that he had killed the king who was his father and married his mother. It was because of this that his people had been hit with drought for many years, which was a curse to his actions. The twist in the tragic hero tale, however, comes up when it is concluded that it was not Oedipus’ fault that he had committed such atrocities.
Oedipus returns home
Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero is exemplified when he runs away from his supposed parents with the aim of launching his kingdom. Oedipus was not aware that his path to self-destruction was set the moment he walked out of the kingdom. Had he stayed with Polybus he would not have learned that he had not been living with his biological parents. The return to his original home forces him to unknowingly kill his father so that he could have a kingdom of his own. He also marries his mother unknowingly as a way of taking over the throne as the new king. The chain of events shows that it is true a tragic hero contributes to his downfall through poor judgment hence catastrophic repercussions.
Oedipus Curses Sons
Oedipus also contributes to the curse of his sons through his decisions and actions. Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero plays out since Oedipus was not aware of the repercussions to his actions. The cause of his sons’ curse has many theories, which are all tied to Oedipus actions. It was believed that the Oedipus was compelled by the gods to pass on the Laios curse since all of them were from one generation. The curse, which had befallen the citizens and Oedipus, had to be passed down to his sons to fulfill the four-generation curse theory (Life, 1995). Another ancient analysis claims that Oedipus cursed his sons after learning they are a product of incest since his mother was their mother. Other sources believe that the curse befell Oedipus' sons after they had used a Cadmus cup to serve their father wine. In one way or another, all the curse origins are based on the decision and judgments made by Oedipus (Bowman, 2007).
Oedipus’ Blindness
The chain of events overwhelm Oedipus and stabs his eyes making him blind. Oedipus had been blinded by his “hubris” which led to the self-inflicted blindness (Knox, 1992). Oedipus eventually admits that he had failed to notice his flaws as he says, "How could I bear to see when all my sight was horror everywhere." At this juncture, the readers are in a quagmire of whether to sympathize with Oedipus or rejoice his self-orchestrated downfall. Blindness is symbolic to poor judgments as one of the characters of a tragic hero who is blinded by his self-righteousness. Blindness can also be identified as arrogance that is a typical character with many leaders who fail to think outside the box. It is ironic how Oedipus cannot see the truth when he has eyesight, but when he sees it, he chooses to go blind to avoid the torture of the revelation.
Conclusion
Oedipus is a character developed by Sophocles that exemplifies the definition of a tragic hero by Aristotle. Oedipus committed one error that sets in motion a series of revelations that lead to his destruction as a king and ending up as a tragic hero (Lazzarini, 2015). The moment he goes back to his city, he kills his father, marries his mother, curses his sons and causes his blindness. The definition of a tragic hero comes out as Oedipus pursues his goals innocently, becomes a respected king, but his flaws contribute to his downfall. The element of “Harmatia” comes out clearly where Oedipus is a victim of his own doing. Oedipus was inquisitive and curious from the word go, and he desires to unearth many mysteries. He, however, realizes that he cannot come to terms with his true origin and character. He realizes that he had unknowingly become a killer and an incestuous family member. Aristotle’s element of “peripeteia” is portrayed in the sudden twist of events. All along Oedipus has been a respected leader who his citizens adored, a father who his children respected and a husband who his wife loved. The repercussions of his pursuit for greatness come one after the other, and his fall from glory is inevitable. Aristotle’s “catharsis” comes out in the end where mixed emotions of pity and fear characterize the tragic end to Oedipus' reign. Sophocles' Oedipus, therefore, exemplifies and doesn't refute Aristotle's definition of a tragic hero where Oedipus orchestrates his downfall (Ahl, 2008).
References
Ahl, F. (2008). Two faces of Oedipus: Sophocles' Oedipus Tyrannus and Seneca's Oedipus. Choice Reviews Online, 45(12), 45-6602-45-6602. doi: 10.5860/choice.45-6602
Bowman, L. (2007). The curse of Oedipus in Oedipus at Colonus. Retrieved from https://journals.co.za/content/scholia/16/1/EJC100320
Knox, B. (1992). The Heroic Temper: Studies in Sophoclean Tragedy (pp. 143-160). Berkeley: University of California Press.
Lazzarini, L. (2015). Why is time "Something of Motion" for Aristotle? Philosophical Inquiry, 39(2), 2-14. doi: 10.5840/philinquiry20153922
Life, F. (1995). Numbers 14:18. [Online] Biblia. Available at: https://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/Num14.18 [Accessed 4 Dec. 2018].
Sophocles. (2015). King Oedipus. Lanham: Start Publishing LLC.
