Oedipus the King A Greek Tragic Hero Essay - 516 Words

The philosopher Aristotle was a highly intellectual man who loved to reason. One of his ideas was his structured analysis of the â€Å"tragic hero† of Greek drama. In his work, Poetics, he defines a tragic hero as â€Å"...The man who on the one hand is not pre-eminent in virtue and justice, and yet on the other hand does not fall into misfortune through vice or depravity, but falls because of some mistake; one among the number of the highly renowned and prosperous.† Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero is clearly shown by the main character in the Greek tragedy Oedipus the King by Sophocles. Oedipus, the protagonist in this Greek tragedy, is exemplary of Aristotle’s idea of a â€Å"tragic hero.† In Oedipus the King, Oedipus, the main character†¦show more content†¦He is blinded by his hubris and is the agent of his own destruction. The completion of Oedipus’ downfall is realization of his folly. He is then led to blind himself by his own hand and be banished from his own children and city according to his own decree. Oedipus is a victim of the Greek’s most powerful force – fate. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Aristotle says that a tragic hero will be sympathized and pitied. He says that they â€Å"excite pity and fear.† This is true in most respects for Oedipus in that he was once a greatly respected and revered man. As the tragedy begins to come to an end, an undercurrent of pity and sorrow is felt for Oedipus. Oedipus was once good, but has since then fallen. This makes his banishment one of even greater sadness, not of revenge. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Lastly, Aristotle describes the plays of the ancient Greeks as having â€Å"unhappy endings† due to the fallen hero’s fate. Oedipus is blinded and his beloved wife and mother, Jocasta, hangs herself due to the events of the plot. This certainly is an unhappy ending that brings mourning to the audience of Oedipus the King. The scene with Oedipus giving a final farewell to his children, Antigone and Ismene, hits home with every observer. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Overall, Aristotle’s definition of a â€Å"tragic hero† is clearly shown by the actions and emotions portrayed by Oedipus in the epitome of Greek tragedies, Oedipus theShow MoreRelatedOedipus The King : A Tragic Hero And Greek Classical Order979 Words   |  4 PagesSophocles a tragic dramatist, priest, Athenian general, is an ancient Greek writer who’s work has survived since circa 400 BC.; Oedipus the King is one of the three plays about Oedipus, believed to be first produced in 425 B.C., five years after the plague had broken out in Athens (Kennedy 947). Sophocles’ Oedipus exemplifies Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero and Greek classical order. As Oedipus says in the play â€Å"if you think a man can sin against his own kind and not be punished for it IRead MoreEssay on King Oedipus as The Classical Greek Tragic Hero1360 Words   |  6 PagesKing Oedipus as The Classical Greek Tragic Hero In his Poetics, Aristotle defined the term tragedy as a man not preeminently virtuous and just, whose misfortune, however, is brought upon him not by vice or depravity, but by some error in judgement the change in the heros fortune must not be from misery to happiness, but on the contrary, from happiness to misery. From this definition, he further expanded it by defining the profile of the Classical Greek tragic hero, basing it on what heRead MoreEssay about Oedipus the King: A Greek Tragic Hero1096 Words   |  5 Pages Many Greek tragedies include a central character known as the tragic hero. In the play, Oedipus the King, by Sophocles, the character Oedipus, portrays to the reader the necessary, central, tragic hero. 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