A tragic hero is defined as “a [great] man who is neither a paragon of virtue and justice nor undergoes the change to misfortune through any real badness or wickedness but because of some mistake” (“Aristotle”‚ n.d.). Therefore‚ a tragic hero has some sort of tragedy that surrounds their life. A tragic hero also makes dramas more interesting and makes readers think. Dramas sometimes either exemplify or refute Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero. Oedipus by Sophocles exemplifies Aristotle’s definition
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“Tragic heroes are so much the highest points in their human landscape that they seem the inevitable conductors of the power about them...great trees more likely to be struck by lightning than a clump of grass. Conductors may of course be instruments as well as victims of the divine lightning.” Tragic heroes are characters of notoriety; held in high regard but are struck with misfortune through their own error. The most noble of men can succumb to their own flaws until driven to the brink of insanity
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Oedipus: The Tragic Hero Normally when someone hears the word “tragedy‚” they automatically think of suffering‚ pain‚ destruction‚ and calamity. The final result would be the unfortunate collapse of a powerful protagonist whether it was a misjudgment or a flaw within their character. A great example of a tragedy would be Oedipus the King by Sophocles. This play was set in the city of Thebes during another terrible plague that the people had just overcome. It tells about a king who lives out his
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English 1302-6504 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
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In the play Oedipus the King‚ Oedipus the main character meets with a tragic fate. In the beginning he is a mighty king‚ ruler of the city of Thebes. Then the people of Thebes come to him with a problem. The city is tragically on the surge of death. Oedipus‚ being the mighty king he is‚ is determined to solve the problem. Oedipus saved the city once before and became a hero. Now faced with this problem he would like to be a hero again‚ but things don’t always take a turn out
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mistake? A tragic hero is a great or virtuous character in a dramatic tragedy that is destined for downfall. In the play Oedipus the King‚ written by Sophacles‚ the main character is a tragic hero by displaying error in judgement‚ excessive pride‚ and reversal of fortune. Oedipus Rex displays an error in judgement by escaping the Corinth prophecy‚ believing that Teiresias is lying about the prophecy‚ and also believing that Creon is only there to doom him. By escaping the Corinth prophecy Oedipus still
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Oedipus Tyrannous When half human monsters walked the Earth and mythical Gods ruled all of creation‚ one man was destined to suffer the worst fate ever imaginable. Oedipus Tyrannous is a classic Greek tragedy written by Sophocles around 470 BC. According to Aristotle’s Poetics‚ Greek tragedies should follow certain guidelines in order to be effective tragic drama. Many of Oedipus’ character traits ultimately justify his place as a perfect specimen of Aristotle’s tragic hero. According
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The main concentration of Oedipus was preventing his downfall in the story‚ but due to his inner blindness and the rest of his character flaws he was unsuccessful in this journey‚ which is the reason that Oedipus was a static character throughout the whole story. He has various flaws‚ which always started multiple conflicts in the story‚ all of which gradually directed him to his downfall in the plot of the play. All of the shortcomings of Oedipus are the reason for his quick‚ horrific downfall from
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defines a tragic hero. A young man known by the name Oedipus‚ died a tragic hero. Throughout his life‚ he was faced with situations that he just could not surpass which led to his gruesome destiny. He was born into a world where the future held nothing but lies and despair. Oedipus‚ is brought into the world by Queen of Thebes‚ Joecasta and King‚ Laios. In his early life he did not have an ideal childhood. King Laius is presented a prophecy where his fate is reveled. Luckily for Oedipus‚ the
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Aristotle‚ the tragic hero is impeded by a distinguishable characteristic or character trait which leads to his ultimate demise. This trait is known as hamartia‚ or the "tragic flaw." This characteristic is said to not only lead to the hero’s demise but may also enable the reader to sympathize with the character. So it follows that in Oedipus the King‚ a Greek tragedy‚ the tragic hero Oedipus should have some sort of flaw. However‚ after close examination of the text‚ no distinguishable "flaw" is revealed
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