Oedipus Tragic Flaw Essay

Is there such a thing as perfection or is it merely as fleeting hope? A tragic flaw by definition is a flaw in the character or personality of someone. In the play written by Sophocles, Oedipus, the protagonist, falls victim to his own imperfection. Oedipus’ pride leads him down the path of the truth and therefore, pushes the theme of fatalism forward in the play.
Oedipus’ tragic flaw that is portrayed in the play is his pride and because it, he learns that despite his best efforts, the prophecy that was foretold came to pass anyways. For example, he was fated to kill his father and when he grew up, he met an old man who chastised him and attempted to force him out of the road. Consequently, Oedipus, angry at the one who dared to speak to him in that manner, slew all of those present but for a lowly plebeian. In effect, without even knowing, Oedipus completed a part of the prophecy he was told of since he was a young lad. As a result, he successfully becomes the very culprit who he searches for when looking for a cure to his city and must banish himself in order to do so. It is evident to see that the events only came to pass due to Oedipus possessing said pride, and he could not have stopped his downfall due to it …show more content…
For instance, Oedipus attempts throughout his entire life to not go through with the prophecy, but when he was faced with the opportunity to become king, he immediately jumps up to take it. Ergo, he marries the queen (his mother) and becomes the king of that land. The ramifications of this decision become dire when, after some time digging for the truth, Oedipus learns of his relationship with his wife/mother and unbeknownst to him, successfully completes the prophecy. The outcome of this is that despite every precaution, the outcome was as the oracle had prophesied and nothing done could have changed fate. In summation, Oedipus could not stop his fate and his life that led up to that moment was all