Oedipus: The Tragic Hero

Paper Summary:

The paper points to several elements in Sophocles' tragedy, "Oedipus Rex", that point to Oedipus as being a tragic hero rather than a common mythological one, mainly the fact that his greatness does not prevent him from failing and being terrible defeated. The paper shows how Sophocles' tragedy emphasizes the fate of the individual who is subject to his own destiny of defeat, despite his great qualities and deeds that would rank him among the exceptional mythological heroes.

From the Paper:

"One of the greatest Greek tragedies of all times, Sophocles' Oedipus Rex, ends with the following lines: "Therefore wait to see life's ending ere thou count one mortal blest;/ Wait till free from pain and sorrow he has gained his final rest".(Sophocles, 142) These lines represent the gist of the tragedy. The Chorus emphasizes thus, in a few words, some of the quintessential creeds of the ancient Greeks: the fact that human condition in itself is tragic and that the individual is a feeble plaything in the hands of the mighty, inexorable destiny. Oedipus is thus constructed as a tragic hero, an inverted image of the myth hero, to exemplify the cruelty and tragedy of the human condition on earth. There are a few obvious tokens in the text of the tragedy that point to Oedipus trajectory as being that of a tragic hero rather than a common mythological one."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Sophocles. Oedipus Rex, in Four Famous Greek Plays edited by Paul Landis. New York: The Modern Library, 1929.

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