How Sophocles’ Oedipus Exemplifies Aristotle’s Definition of a Tragic Hero and Drama

How Sophocles’ Oedipus Exemplifies Aristotle’s Definition of a Tragic Hero and Drama
Student Full Name
Institutional Affiliation
Course Full Title
Instructor Full Name
Due Date
How Sophocles’ Oedipus Exemplifies Aristotle’s Definition of a Tragic Hero and Drama
Sophocles’ Oedipus the King fits the parameters laid out by the philosopher Aristotle regarding Greek tragedy. Oedipus, the main character in the drama, links Aristotle’s ideas of emotional attachment, fear, and pity in a manner that makes him an ideal tragic hero. The classic drama fulfills the function of a tragedy by narrating Oedipus’s tragic flaws that see him fall from the esteemed position of King of Thebes to an outcast in his homeland. While the main character’s woeful destiny is pronounced for him by the gods before his birth, his personal failings ensure that he lives out his fate, and in doing so, inspiring respect, pity and fear in the audience. The thesis of this essay is: Sophocles’ Oedipus is an ideal tragic hero and drama because the main character fulfills the three parameters of respect, pity, and fear defined by Aristotle as belonging to Greek tragedy. This essay will begin by outlining the three crucial effects required to fulfill Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero before demonstrating how each of these are present in the classic drama.
In order to determine whether Sophocles’ Oedipus the King truly exemplifies Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero and drama, it is critical to outline what a tragic hero is. Aristotle believed that a tragic hero was one who descended from a noble lineage and possessed heroic qualities but whose fortunes were doomed by a tragic flaw, often emanating from the character’s own admirable personality, which eventually lead to the hero’s tragic end (Paffen, 2014). On the whole, Aristotle’s idea of a tragic hero revolves around three primary effects: respect, fear, and pity. The tragic hero’s success first lies in his ability to inspire respect in the audience. Being of noble birth and possessing admirable qualities are key: having both ensures the audience have a personal investment in the tragic hero’s fate. Aristotle also believed that a tragic hero must have a tragic flaw that is inherently linked to a part of their virtue. This personal failing cannot be a character flaw or an involuntary mistake as this would make the audience derisive or indifferent to the hero. This psychological or moral failure has to be tied to those very qualities that the audience admires and honors the hero for and yet be grievous enough to bring the otherwise impeccable hero to a tragic end.
When a flaw that is natural and deeply imbedded in the tragic hero is the cause of his eventual misfortune, the audience are able to relate to this human weakness and even fear what will eventually befall him. As a result, when the misfortune eventually strikes, the audience is moved to pity. In sum, the tragic hero has to be a sophisticated and well-constructed character who although likable and admirable, is eventually brought to a cruel end by a failing that is neither arbitrary nor idiosyncratic (Barstow, 1912). Oedipus not only meets Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero, but the classic drama masterfully constructs his character as to elicit the three needed responses in the audience. For instance, the main character is of noble birth: Oedipus is the son of the King and Queen of Thebes, Laius and Jocasta. His nobility also emerges from the fact that he is later adopted as the son of the King and Queen of Corinth, Polybus and Merope. Although the second source of royalty is a false one, Oedipus commands the respect of the audience from the onset. He also possesses admirable qualities that earn him the admiration required of a tragic hero. For instance, he is honored in Thebes for his wisdom after solving the riddle of the Sphinx.
While laboring under the misconception that Polybus and Merope are his parents, Oedipus tries to escape his fate by unwittingly returning to his homeland. There, he meets the people of Thebes in anguish as they are murdered for not knowing the answer to the Sphinx’s riddle. Oedipus is wise enough to know th...