Wednesday, September 15, 2010
The Tragic Hero
In Oedipus the King, Oedipus demonstrates hubris and extreme zeal, which leads to his downfall. According to Aristotle, tragedy is the result of free choice and not necessarily accident, but Oedipus's "hamartia" becomes evident in his realizations about his relationships with his mother and children. Oedipus appeals to the audience through his heart breaking awareness, and leads to a true catharsis. He cries about his curse, "you are fated to couple with your mother, you will bring a breed of children into the light no man can bear to see-you will kill your father, the one who gave you life!" and even gouges his eyes. What are some other examples in the story that stood out to you that categorizes this as a true tragedy (using specific quotes, maybe?)
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Another characteristic of the Aristotelian tragic hero is that the hero is a well-renowned figure who is often a king. Oedipus fits this characteristic as he is King of Thebes. In addition, the hero's misfortune is not wholly deserved. In Oedipus's tragic case, the audience sees that he is not completley responsible for the tragedy that he suffers and the phrase, "the punishment exceeds the crime," holds true for him.
Recgnition and reversal of the situation are two other characteristics of "Oedipus the King" that constitute it as an aritotelian tragedy. Reversal of the situation is evident when the messenger comes to cheer up Oedipus about the death of his mother but by enlighting on whom he is, he produces the opposite effect. Also, upon the messengers visit, Oedipus recognizes his true identity. These two characteristics of a tragedy are intertwined perfectly in "Oedipus the King" and thus help generate a tragical masterpiece.
We can also find a clear "hubris" in Oedipus' actions. As Chloe says, Oedipus is overzealous, and this leads to his demise. Yes, he saved Thebes from the Sphinx, but he takes excessive pride in his history of protecting and saving his land. He is quick to lay a curse upon Laius' killer, and he blindly seeks the solution to what Oedipus must consider a second riddle. In the end, pride compels Oedipus to seek knowledge for his own sake, rather than the sake of his people. The result of Oedipus' hubris is a true tragic fall from grace.
I also think another characterisitc is that in the drama, the punishment always is worse than the crime. This is obvious in Oedipus because his "crime" was not on purpose yet his punishment was extreme. Oedipus looses Jocasta and he makes himself blind.
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