Oedipus Tragic Hero Essay

In the play Oedipus the King, Oedipus is the main character and tragic hero. He is a royal king who came to Thebes to save it from the plague. Oedipus runs into some other character conflicts in the play with a prophet named Tiresias and his brother in-law Creon. In the play Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman stands out as the main character and has the tragic downfall. Willy’s mental disease causes trouble for him throughout the play with his family and friends. After examining the tragedies of Oedipus the King and Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman stands out as more of a tragic figure because the average person can relate to his everyday life. Arthur Miller’s opinion comes off as a more relatable opinion to someone living in this era. Aristotle relates to greek mythology more
Willy Loman was an average citizen trying to make a successful living. Willy’s ego of his son Biff caused him to develop a mental problem. I view Willy as the superior tragic hero due to his mental problem that many people can relate to today. Almost anyone knows somebody fighting for their life due to a mental illness. Willy Loman is in the same position as his family watches and tries to help all they can. “The man is exhausted” (Linda, Pg. 59). Linda knows what is happening to Willy, and the audience sees that from her which makes things tragic. Willy also never even realizes that he is losing everything because of his stubbornness to accept the truth. Many times Biff has tried to tell him that he is living in dream, but his mental state won’t let him accept it. Towards the end of the play Willy loses his job and everything falls apart in the family which causes his tragic downfall. Willy took his own life over the same thing people take their life over today, mental illness. I view Willy Loman as the superior tragic hero because today’s society can relate to his struggles and the result of him taking his own