Oedipus’ Tragic Hero Essay
Pride is a deep feeling of satisfaction that comes from one’s achievements. In the play, Oedipus by Sophocles, the tragic hero, Oedipus, displays pride which substantially impacts his life. Oedipus, the king of Thebes, has had a difficult life. Since his birth, he has been wanted dead. He ends up surviving, killing his father, becoming king, and marrying his mother. When the people of Thebes find out Oedipus is the killer of Laius, the former king, Oedipus goes through his tragic downfall of great suffering. Oedipus boosts himself up and degrades others, but it turn he ends up suffering greatly and pitying himself for it. Oedipus’ display of pride throughout the story causes him to feel great pity for himself as he suffers his ultimate downfall.
…show more content…
Oedipus says he is “illustrious Oedipus, known to all” (8). By saying that, he means that everyone knows him because is the mighty Oedipus. He also says he was “once raised to be foremost among Thebans” (1324). He believes that he is above all Thebans and that he was raised to come before anyone from Thebes. Oedipus shows he is god-like by saying he is an”ally.. to the god” (240). He is showing he feels equal to the gods by saying he is an associate of them. One of the ways Oedipus displays his pride is by putting himself on a pedestal above all
In Homer’s epic poem “The Odyssey”, Homer has successfully used his knowledge of epithets to paint a picture in the reader’s mind that visualizes Odysseus as a godly being. Throughout the story Odysseus has been constantly referred to as “wily” and “godlike”. Although through his actions Odysseus has exhibited more behaviors that are usually associated with the behavior of mortal men and not of the gods. Such as in the 5th book after he has landed on an unknown island, and after he has regained his consciousness, “He turned away from the river, sank into a bed of rushes, and kissed the good earth (5.468-469)””. With the words “bed of rushes” empathizing on the cruel nature of the land he has just entered.
The Destruction of Identity and Its Disastrous Outcomes May Tun The three texts, Oedipus The King, Aias, and Philoktetes, define a person’s identity as the uniqueness of their character, such as their strength and skills, their demonstration of their character to other people, and their true heritage. However, the identity a person spends his lifetime to build can fall apart within a second due to illnesses, actions, or sudden revelations about the truths and falsehoods of who they actually are. Aias, Oedipus, and Philoktetes’ carelessness in choosing to identify with their reputations and actions leads to their perceived individualities being completely shattered and changed. When these three individuals are forced to undergo the destruction
Odysseus is the king of Ithaca and is trying desperately to get home to his country and family. Along the way, Odysseus and his men are faced with many struggles, most of which are extremely dangerous, but never lose their hope for home. Although he may seem great, Odysseus is conceited, extremely unfaithful, and lacks in leadership. Odysseus may be strong and brave, but he is not what a true hero is. From the start of the story, Odysseus recurrently illustrates an attitude of conceitedness through his self centered actions.
Odysseus cried out to the Gods that he doesn’t need them. He then chose to not make a sacrifice to the Gods, to thank them for their help in the Greeks victory. Odysseus shows his hubris again when he blames the Argives situation solely on his men and calling them “mutinous fools” taking zero responsibility. In this scene Odysseus is self-centered, and displays obnoxious behavior while disrespecting all his men. His arrogance is most prominent during his encounter Polyphemus.
He tells them, “I am Odysseus, son of Laertes, know to the world/ for every kind of craft–my fame has reached the skies” (9. 21-22). Odysseus shows his arrogance in this quote. Odysseus is so full of arrogance in the beginning of the book that he cannot let anyone but him get recognition for the stories. Odysseus says himself that he is “known to the world” and his “fame has reached the skies”. These statements show someone who is full of themselves and doesn’t want any point of recognition off of them.
“All men make mistakes, but a good man yields when he knows his course is wrong and repairs the evil. The only crime is pride.” A man named Sophocles once said this in the play, Antigone. Pride is where a person has a very high and mighty opinion of their own selves. This may lead to turmoil in lives of their self or others.
Have you ever felt tempted to cheat on your homework or on a test? Have you been prideful of what your status or accomplishments? In Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, the brave hero Odysseus encountered these obstacles of temptations and pride that people today still face. Therefore, temptation and pride were Odysseus’ greatest enemy throughout his journey back to Ithaca, as they distracted him on his voyage, prevented him from getting home, and displeased the gods.
Although he was ashamed of the life he had been living, he realized that the mistakes were his own, and no one can bear the weight but him. He even said it himself “No one but me can bear this weight.” The grave consequences which Oedipus suffered in the end consisted of the loss of his mother/ wife by suicide, as well as his grief becoming a threat to himself, as he stabbed his own eyes out, blinding him permanently. After suffering dreadful pain from these actions in grief, Oedipus went on to face the other consequences given by the gods and Creon. He cursed himself many times in the book saying that whoever killed Laius should be banished or killed, and he would even go on to be cursed by his wrongful actions of incest.
Oedipus denies the truth and faces the consequences later on in the play. He gets furious when everyone is blaming him for killing Laius. As he is blaming others, hubris appears within his personality. Oedipus becomes blinder as hubris takes over him.
Thesis:In Sophocles play ‘Oedipus the king’,Oedipus is an example of a tragic hero because he changed from a hero at the beginning of the play into a tragic hero by the end by experiencing power,tragic flow,downfall and death. Oedipus changes into a person no can believe of,because in the beginning he was a hero for the city of thebes by solving a riddle to defeat the monster that was killing and taking over thebes. Claim:Before the play Oedipus defeats sphinx and becomes a powerful king,At the beginning of the play people rely on Oedipus’s power and help. Data:For example the priest says “Oedipus greatest in all men’s eyes We pray,find some strength again and rescue or city”. Warrant:From this quote readers can see that how empowered oedipus feels like and how people in thebes rely on him,Clearly this scene represents the power stage of the tragic hero.
2. Oedipus is given god like attributes, you can even see the chorus. “gathered around [Oedipus’] altars, praying… ” P.6 Chorus. The reference to Oedipus’ altars and praying makes it seem as if they believe him to be a God capable of easily fixing their problems. Besides from saving the city, Oedipus is also called upon to get
In the play Oedipus is the only one that is able to solve the sphinx’s riddle which leads the city to making him their next king. Oedipus was there for the city in a time of need and shows his intelligence by solving the riddle. This act is what categorizes Oedipus as a hero, after saving the city from a crisis it shows he is willing to do anything in order to keep the city going and look after his people. He also does not like to keep secrets from his people, for example when Creon wants to tell Oedipus the oracle in private, Oedipus insists on making the news public to the people. Doing so shows that he wants the people to trust him and wants make it known to everyone that he can be in fact trusted.
Oedipus was a tragic hero he was seen as a great man and was king,but he fell to misfortune because of his disability to see past his pride and anger which led to his demise. By not being able to see past his pride and anger Oedipus was not able to to avoid his prophetic destiny. He was blinded by his pride and anger so much that it became his tragic flaw ultimately leading him to his
Pride often leads to someone’s downfall - this idea has been developed from the playwright “Oedipus the king” through Rey’s interactive oral presentation. He discussed that Oedipus’ excessive pride over his knowledge due to solving riddles allows him to not listen to others including the respected Prophet , his dear relative Kreon - he seldom pays heed to them and decides to pursue further for searching the predecessor’s murderer . His own path opens up hidden , dark truth about his life. From the presentation it has been evident that Oedipus was not smart enough to realize that the path he set for himself, will eventually bring nothing but pain.
Sometimes in life people can be “blind” to the truth. The answer to their question or solution to their worry or problem may have been obvious yet, they could not “see” the answer. Therefore, they were blind to the truth. This blindness is not one in a physical sense but another kind of sight or vision. In Sophocles’ writing, Tiresias is a blind prophet that presents the truth to King Oedipus.