The Tragic Hero

Term Paper # 99314

Drama and Theater > Greek and Roman
English > Analysis
Literature > Greek and Roman

The Tragic Hero

This paper discusses the heroic nature of Sophocles' "Oedipus the King".

793 words () | 1 source | MLA | 2007 United States

Paper Summary:

The paper explains that the character of Oedipus, in Sophocles' "Oedipus the King", is a hero because he is tested by the gods and a tragic hero because this testing comes from flaws within himself. The paper describes how Oedipus meets the challenges that have been set for him, learns from them and grows as a person even as he loses his status as king. The paper concludes that despite his many flaws, Oedipus truly is a hero.

From the Paper:

"A man who kills his father to marry his mother seems an odd figure to call a "hero." Rather, it would seem that such a man would be the villain of the piece, due to his violent and arrogant nature. Oedipus is every bit the hero, however, in that he is a tragic hero. Not only is he permitted to have these major flaws, he is expected to have them."
"Oedipus is a tragic hero both because of his flaws and for how he handles them. He is destined to lose everything because of those flaws, but both his attempt to change his fate and his ability to learn from his experiences make Oedipus heroic. Oedipus is also a human, feeling character. Unlike a typical villain who might discount the human lives he has affected by his actions, Oedipus responds in a strong and emotional fashion. These things can be summarized by three events: Oedipus' decision to leave Corinth to avoid killing Polybus, his reaction to learning that Jocasta is both his wife and his mother, and by his decision to defer ruling Thebes to his sons."

Sample of Sources Used:

Sophocles. Antigone, Oedipus the King, Electra. Edith Hall and H.D.F. Kitto (trans.). New York: Oxford University Press-Oxford World's Classics, 1998.