Oedipus: His Tragic Flaw
Analytical Analysis on “Oedipus”
And his Tragic Flaw It has been said that all tragic heroes possess tragic flaws. Whether this statement applies to Oedipus of “Oedipus” the King, written by Sophocles, is still a matter of much debate even centuries after its debut. If Oedipus bares a “tragic flaw,” then he is a man, and therefore is able to exercise his free will in determining his fate. If, however, Oedipus is a tragic hero without a flaw, then he is said to be a mere “puppet” in his story; no matter what decisions he makes, he is helpless against whichever Supreme Being is working against him. Is Oedipus’ treacherous fate the cause of extenuating circumstances, or is there an invisible force controlling his every whim? As the plot weaves in and out of scenes, what seems apparent at first glance shifts as the opposing view gains merit; what was is no longer, until the next scene when it becomes apparent again. Though there is a clear concise victor in the end, arriving at a definitive conclusion amongst the array of possibilities is a tedious task which involves the step by step examination of each intricate detail. Before he inhaled his first breath, a cursed prophecy had been laid out upon Oedipus which foretold that he would slay his father and bare children with the very woman who bore him; in order to avert this tragedy, his parents cast him out and left him to die – “…his feet pierced so that no one [would] take him up” (Segal,89). Since a child, innocent at birth, has no ability to condemn himself at such a tender age, it must be assumed that this was the work of the gods. What would have become of Oedipus had the prophecy not been revealed? Had he been raised by Jocasta and Laius, and had they not thrown him out to his death, would he still have grown to be his father’s murder and his mother’s husband? It seems much less likely that Oedipus would have fulfilled the prophecy in the event it had never been revealed, which poses the question
And his Tragic Flaw It has been said that all tragic heroes possess tragic flaws. Whether this statement applies to Oedipus of “Oedipus” the King, written by Sophocles, is still a matter of much debate even centuries after its debut. If Oedipus bares a “tragic flaw,” then he is a man, and therefore is able to exercise his free will in determining his fate. If, however, Oedipus is a tragic hero without a flaw, then he is said to be a mere “puppet” in his story; no matter what decisions he makes, he is helpless against whichever Supreme Being is working against him. Is Oedipus’ treacherous fate the cause of extenuating circumstances, or is there an invisible force controlling his every whim? As the plot weaves in and out of scenes, what seems apparent at first glance shifts as the opposing view gains merit; what was is no longer, until the next scene when it becomes apparent again. Though there is a clear concise victor in the end, arriving at a definitive conclusion amongst the array of possibilities is a tedious task which involves the step by step examination of each intricate detail. Before he inhaled his first breath, a cursed prophecy had been laid out upon Oedipus which foretold that he would slay his father and bare children with the very woman who bore him; in order to avert this tragedy, his parents cast him out and left him to die – “…his feet pierced so that no one [would] take him up” (Segal,89). Since a child, innocent at birth, has no ability to condemn himself at such a tender age, it must be assumed that this was the work of the gods. What would have become of Oedipus had the prophecy not been revealed? Had he been raised by Jocasta and Laius, and had they not thrown him out to his death, would he still have grown to be his father’s murder and his mother’s husband? It seems much less likely that Oedipus would have fulfilled the prophecy in the event it had never been revealed, which poses the question
Cited: Segal, Charles. “Tragic Heroism and the Limits of Knowledge.” Oedipus Tyrannus. Twayne Publishers, New York. 1993 F. J. H. Letters, "The Oedipus Tyrannus." In The Life and Work of Sophocles, Gale, 1953 Literature Resource Center Gale. Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College Lib., Gulfport, MS. 24 July 2008 < http://galenet.galegroup.com >. Sophocles. “Oedipus the King.” Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. X.J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 8th ed. New York: Longman, 2002. 1383-1423. Gould and Vernant. “Sophocles Oedipus Rex.” Modern Critical Interpretations. Ed. Harold Bloom. Chelsea House Publishers, New York. 1988 Winnington-Ingram, R.P. “Fate in Sophocles.” Modern Critical Views: Sophocles. Ed. Harold Bloom. Chelsea House Publishers, New York. 1990