The Perfect Aristotelian Tragedy Sophocles Oedipus the...

Aristotle considered Sophocles Oedipus the King to be a nearly perfect example of Greek tragedy. His reasons were based on the structural perfection of the play, in which the protagonists recognition of his circumstances (anagnorisis) comes at the same moment as his reversal of fortune (peripeteia). But the terms whereby Aristotle defines character in Greek tragedy are slightly harder to work out where is the hubris of Oedipus? An examination of the plot will demonstrate that Oedipus hubris is manifest in the way in which he sets the plot of the tragedy into motion. The clue to Oedipus hubris is given at the outset of the play, in the speech at lines 58 through 77. Here, Oedipus is forced as king to take stock of the plague which has fallen upon Thebes the plague itself is considered an omen, which must have been caused by some horrific wrongdoing. Thus Oedipus has given orders to consult the oracle of Apollo, since Apollo was not only the inspirer of prophecy but also the god of pes tilence, and thus may give some insight into the mysterious plague. Oedipus phrases his account of his actions in the most lofty and high-minded terms: OEDIPUS: My poor, poor children! Surely long ago I have read your trouble. Stricken, well I know, Ye all are, stricken sore: yet verily Not one so stricken to the heart as I. Your grief, it cometh to each man apart For his own loss, none others; but this heart For thee and me and all of us doth weep. Wherefore it is not toShow MoreRelatedOedipus the King a Tragic Hero936 Words   |  4 Pages1302-6504 Mrs.Weatherford 21 November 2011 A Tragic Hero Indeed! In Sophocles tragedy Oedipus the King, King Oedipus swears to solve the murder of former King Laios in order to free the city from the plague. The plague taunts the city destroying crops and livestock and making the women unable to bear children. A seer, Teirsias tells Oedipus that he himself is Thebes’s pollution for killing his father and marrying his mother. Oedipus ignores his words and is blind to the truth until he discovers thatRead MoreOedipus As A Tragic Hero1094 Words   |  5 PagesIn the play Oedipus the King, Oedipus struggles to accept the truth and lets his temper over power him. He can be displayed as a tragic hero. His refusal to accept the truth led to Oedipus’ down fall. A tragic hero, as defined by Aristotle, â€Å"is a literary character who makes a judgment error that inevitably leads to his/her own destruction.† Sophocles’ Oedipus exemplifies Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero. In the play, Oedipus unknowingly has cursed the entire town of Thebes. He was cursedRead MoreThe Perfect Aristotelian Tragedy: Oedipus the King Essay1432 Words   |  6 PagesThe Perfect Aristotelian Tragedy: Oedipus the King by Sophocles Works Cited Not Included Oedipus the King is an excellent example of Aristotles theory of tragedy. The play has the perfect Aristotelian tragic plot consisting of paripeteia, anagnorisis and catastrophe; it has the perfect tragic character that suffers from happiness to misery due to hamartia (tragic flaw) and the play evokes pity and fear that produces the tragic effect, catharsis (a purging of emotion). Oedipus the King hasRead MoreDeconstructing Tragedy And The Definition Of The Protagonist’S1173 Words   |  5 PagesDeconstructing Tragedy and the Definition of the Protagonist’s Innocence In Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex, Oedipus meets the Aristotelian definition of a tragic hero as divine fate and tragic flaws lead to his downfall. Oedipus’s tragic flaws like hubris, curiosity, and anger, contribute to his unfortunate fate. The components of a perfect tragedy as defined in Aristotle’s Poetics are at the center of Oedipus Rex. The play contains the elements of a perfect tragedy such asRead MoreOedipus: Aristotelian or Formalist Theory772 Words   |  4 PagesTeiresias’s speech at the end of scene one of Sophocles’ play Oedipus Rex is fairly short but it is in this encounter between Oedipus and Teiresias where the main conflict of the story begins to unfold. This is a pivotal speech in the play as it helps to develop some of the major themes in the play as well as begin to build up the tragic irony at the center of the story. When this speech is analyzed using either Aristotelian or Formalist theory key elements can be found that are e ffective inRead MoreOedipus As A Tragic Hero1939 Words   |  8 PagesStatement: Sophocles’ Oedipus is a perfect example of Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero through the main characters prosperity to an emotional downfall caused by a tragic flaw. I. Oedipus is a Tragic Hero a. Definition of a tragic hero as defined by Aristotle i. Aristotelian tragic hero is defined (Aristotle 1961, p. 1453a). b. Oedipus falling into Aristotle’s tragic hero definition i. Aristotle directs us to Oedipus the King as a tragic hero (Bruening 1997, pp. 14-15). II. How Tragedy AffectsRead MoreTragic Hero1598 Words   |  7 Pagestragic hero was created in ancient Greek tragedy and defined by Aristotle. Usually, the realization of fatal flaw results in catharsis or epiphany. The tragic flaw is sometimes referred to as an Achilles heel after the single fatal flaw of the Greek warrior Achilles. [citation needed] Aristotelian tragic hero In a complex Aristotelian tragedy, the hero is of noble birth and is more admirable than ordinary men. He cannot, however, be morally perfect because the best plots arise when his downfallRead MoreA Dolls House As A Tragic Hero Analysis967 Words   |  4 Pagesweakness, or tragic flaw in his character, falls into the depths of misery and often to his death† (Ingham 1). Within Oedipus Rex, Sophocles laid the foundation for what is now considered the ideal tragic hero. Within A Doll’s House, Ibsen creates a modern hero in Nora Helmer; a woman who was oppressed for going against social rules for saving her husband. Nora follows the Aristotelian journey of a tragic hero, from hamartia through her tragic fall into catharsis. She is considered a modern day heroineRead MoreOedipus The King As A Tragic Hero Essay1491 Words   |  6 Pagesdramas of all time, Sophocles’ play Oedipus the King follows the tragic life of Oedipus, king of Thebes. Considered a Satyr play, the Oedipus trilogy is perhaps the most famous of Sophocles’ plays. Oedipus the King, is an Athenian tragedy that was first performed somewhere around 429 BC in Athens, Greece. Originally, the Greeks referred to the play as simply â€Å"Oedipus,† as that was what Aristotle referred to it as in the Poetics. Perhaps what makes this play so memorable, is Sophocles’ uses of the tragicRead MoreAnalysis of Oedipus As an Aristotelian Tragic Hero in Sophocles Oedipus Rex1799 Words   |  7 Pagesï » ¿Oedipus as an Aristotelian tragic hero Although one might be inclined to express uncertainty concerning the role of Sophocles Oedipus as a tragic hero (when regarding matters from a general point of view), the character perfectly fits Aristotles definition of a tragic hero. The protagonist in Oedipus Rex is noble and can be appreciated for his greatness, considering that he embodies a series of virtuous attributes. Even with this, he is not perfect and thus makes it possible for readers to