Oedipus the King; Tragic Hero of Aristotle
Sophocles is considered a great ancient Greek tragedian and Oedipus the King is one of his most well-known plays. The play is about a tragic hero named Oedipus. Oedipus was a victim of fate. Oedipus did not have any control over his destiny since his fate was prophesied at birth. When Oedipus was an infant, a prophet prophesied that he would kill his father and marry his mother. To avert the tragedy, the parents of Oedipus, Laius and Jocasta instructed a servant to kill him. Instead of killing the infant Oedipus, the shepherd abandoned him. The fate of Oedipus was already decided, and when the shepherd failed to kill him, Oedipus lived to fulfil the prophesy that he never knew. What happened to Oedipus was meant to be because the shepherded did not kill him as instructed and Oedipus lived to fulfil the prophecy even without his knowledge. Oedipus is a classic example of a tragic hero. A tragic hero is a character in a literary piece who makes a judgment error that eventually leads to their downfall.
According to Barstow (2; 1912), the Aristotelian requirements for a tragic hero required that a tragic hero fails to attain happiness because of a significant error rather than moral corruption. Oedipus exemplifies Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero because his downfall was tied to his fate rather than because of wickedness.
According to Aristotle, the tragic hero has to be a person of noble character (Butcher 8, 2008). Oedipus is the King of Thebes, which qualifies his as a noble character. As the play begins, Oedipus is listening to the grievances of his people, as noble King. Oedipus exhibits high moral standards when he sends his brother-in-law Creon to the oracles of Apollo to find a solution to the problem facing the city. Oedipus is respected and loved by the people because of his steady rule. Furthermore, Oedipus once saved the city from the Sphinx. Therefore, the people of the city hold Oedipus in high regard.
The Aristotelian definition of a tragedy requires the character to portray moral obligation. Oedipus exhibits a moral responsibility when he decides to investigate the murder mystery of king Laius. Creon returns from the oracles of Apollo bearing news about the curse that has befallen the city. Instead of summoning Creon privately, King Oedipus asks Creon to speak in the public because the curse also concerned his subjects. By asking Creon to share his findings with the public, King Oedipus portrays transparency. Also, King Oedipus declares to find the murderer of King Laius personally. The curse befell the city because King Laius was murdered and his murder was never brought to book. Therefore, the only way the city could extinguish the evil was to find the murderer of their deceased King Laius and expel him from the city. King Oedipus has a moral obligation to find the murderer and rid the capital of the curse.
King Oedipus further exhibits morality when he decides to investigate his origin. Jocasta tells Oedipus not to believe in the blind prophet because she had experienced firsthand that prophecies are not always accurate. Jocasta confesses to King Oedipus that she and King Laius once had a prediction that their unborn son would kill his father and marry his mother. Jocasta further narrates how they averted the crisis by abandoning the baby. The story by Jocasta triggers an event if happenings that lead King Oedipus to discover his true identity. In an ideal situation, King Oedipus would have kept the doubts of his origin a secret. Instead, due to his moral obligations, King Oedipus decides to investigate his background.
King Oedipus exhibits justice because he punishes himself when he discovers that he murdered King Laius. According to Barstow (4, 1912), King Oedipus had bound himself morally when he declared publicly that the murderer of King Laius would be executed or sent to exile. Therefore, when King Oedipus found out that he was the murderer, he punished himself. Not only did King Oedipus blind himself but also asks to be exiled to suffer for the rest of his life. King Oedipus is a fair King because he did not spare himself from punishment because of his noble status as King.
According to the Aristotelian definition of tragedy, the noble character should also exhibit a weakness. Although King Oedipus appears pre-eminently virtuous and moral, he is not perfect. In line with Linnebank (6, 2015), when a person who was excellent and kind faces a downfall due to one mistake, the feelings of tragedy arise. As stated earlier, King Oedipus was a moral and just King. However, the mistake he made before becoming a king came back to haunt him. Although King Oedipus a much natural greatness of soul, he lacks a clear vision that enables him to weigh both sides of the matter before making a decision (Barstow 3, 1912). King Oedipus has a history of making impromptu decisions using only half the knowledge, a habit that leads to his downfall. Before killing King Laius, Oedipus is distressed because he just learnt that the people who raised him were not his biological moment. Therefore, when he encounters King Laius at the crossroads, he is caught in the heat of the moment and kills the King. Although Kind Oedipus later saved Thebes from the Sphinx, the mistake of killing King Laius becomes his downfall despite all his good work.
King Oedipus portrays his temperamental trait when he accuses Creon of betrayal. In line with Linnebank (1, 2015), an ideal tragedy should not be constructed around an exceptionally virtuous person or a wicked person; it must be based on a person between the two. Through the play, King Oedipus portrays his virtues as a moral king, but at some point, Oedipus loses control. The fact that King Oedipus is not an extremely virtuous person makes the play relatable. When the blind prophet Teiresias accuses King Oedipus of murdering King Laius, Oedipus is furious because he thinks it is not valid. King Oedipus accuses his brother-in-law Creon of betrayal. Since Oedipus set foot in Thebes and saved the city from the Sphinx, Creon remained a loyal friend to Oedipus. However, due to his habit of acting on half the knowledge, King Oedipus accused his faithful friend of betrayal. The accusation by King Oedipus sheds light into his character. The indictment also aligns with Aristotle’s definition of a tragedy since King Oedipus had several flaws despite being a moral and just king.
The play follows the Aristotelian concept of a tragic flaw. As per Aristotle, tragedy is supposed to be triggered by an error of judgment as a result of the imperfection of the hero (Butcher 14, 2008). King Oedipus has a history of making rash decisions despite his exemplary record as a king. Although King Oedipus is tied to his fate, killing his father and marrying his mother, his temper and irrationality lead to his downfall. When Oedipus learned that he was destined to kill his father and marry his mother, he decided to run away from home even without consulting his parents. In his thoughts, Oedipus was running away from home to avoid his ill fate; little did he know that he was running towards it. Due to his habit of acting on half-knowledge, Oedipus led himself down the road of destruction. If Oedipus had been patient enough and discussed his discovery with his parents, he would not have run away from home.
According to Farahbakhsh (3, 2018), what drives the tragic hero like Oedipus to his affliction by the end of the play is his waywardness or his error of judgment since he is free in committing or not committing what he is warned against by gods. Oedipus had acted on an impulse, rather than thinking about the situation; a grave error that led to his downfall. Besides, when Oedipus met King Laius at the crossed roads, he did not think twice before killing him. Later a curse befell the city because the murderer of the slain King was not apprehended. During his search for the murderer, King Oedipus discovered he was the sought murderer, leading to his destruction. Although King Laius had accosted Oedipus, triggering Oedipus to kill him, Oedipus would have avoided killing a stranger.
In the Aristotelian definition of a tragedy, the punishment of the hero exceeds his crime. Although King Oedipus had killed his father and married his mother, his fate was pre-determined. According to Dino et al. (3, 2015), Oedipus was tied to his fate, and he unconsciously took paths that led him to his ill-fate. Oedipus did not kill his father and marry his mother, knowingly. When Oedipus first heard of the prophecy of the atrocities he would commit, he ran away from home to avoid his ill fate. However, Oedipus did not know that the people he was running away from were not his birth parents. Therefore, in avoiding fulfilling the prophecy, Oedipus was going to fulfil his destiny. Oedipus had tried to prevent his fate by running away from home. Thus, Oedipus should have received a subtle punishment because his actions were already pre-determined. However, a classical tragedy demands that the hero suffers a sentence that exceeds his crime. Oedipus suffers psychological trauma when he realizes that he killed his father and married his mother. Also, Jocasta commits suicide when she discovers that all along her husband was her long lost son. Oedipus suffers a double tragedy for he loses his mother and his lover. Besides, Oedipus blinds himself as punishment for his crimes. The punishment exceeds when Oedipus asks to be exiled, leaving his children and his luxurious life as King.
Aristotle also defines a tragedy as one that increases awareness and self-knowledge on the part of the tragic hero. Before his quest for justice for the slain King, Oedipus knew that he had escaped his ill fate by running away from home. Also, Oedipus knew that his birth parents were far away, protected from his unfortunate fate. However, his investigation into the murder of King Laius made Oedipus discover his true identity. Oedipus is relieved when he learns that his father is dead, and not from being killed by his son. The news makes Oedipus forget the prophecy about him. However, Oedipus is struck by reality when he discovers that he was adopted and, true to his fears; he had killed his father and married his mother. Through his tragedy, Oedipus found his true identity and origin.
Aristotle argues that one function of tragedy is to arouse emotions of pity and fear. Feelings of sympathy arise because Oedipus suffers too much pain and loss, yet his fate was pre-determined. Oedipus thought that he had escaped his destiny only to fulfil it to the core. Regardless of his future being pre-determined, Oedipus still suffered psychologically, emotionally and physically. Fear also arises in the form of a lesson learnt. According to Linnebank (8, 2015), the Greek tragedies were not meant to entertain but to pass a moral lesson. Throughout his life, Oedipus rushed into decisions without thinking thoroughly. Through his rush decisions, Oedipus ran away from home without asking his parents about his prophesied destiny. Also, when King Laius accosted him, Oedipus got angry and killed him. The tragedy of Oedipus the King teaches valuable lessons through fear. According to Aristotle, the man who attains perfect happiness in the world is the wise man who sees in all their aspects the facts or the forces with which he is dealing, and can balance and direct his impulses under reason (Barstow 4, 1912). Oedipus failed to reason and lacked control over his desires, an error that led to his downfall.
In conclusion, the play, Oedipus the King, exemplifies Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero. Oedipus is a nobleman with high moral standards and few imperfections. The lack of control over his flaw leads Oedipus to a tragedic end, suffering punishment that exceeds his crimes. The tragedy of Oedipus the King also aligns with Aristotle by teaching a valuable lesson by arousing pity and fear from the audience.
References
Barstow, M. (1912). Oedipus Rex as the ideal tragic hero of Aristotle. The Classical Weekly, 6(1), 2-4.
Butcher, S.H. (2013) THE POETICS OF ARISTOTLE. November 3, 1-39
Dino, Sain. (2016). ROLE OF FATE IN PLAY OEDIPUS REX BY SOPHOCLES.
Farahbakhsh, Alireza. “Exploring the Applicability of Aristotle’s “Tragic Flaw” to Sophocles’.” THE INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH JOURNAL “INTERNATIONAL RESEACHERS”, 2013: 8.
Linnebank, Levon. The Contemporary tragic hero. June 2015
Oedipus the King. RicherResourcesPublications, 2007.