A True Tragic Hero - Essay Example

of Lecturer of 13 January Considering Aristotle Aristotle gave four characteristics of a true tragic hero. It is therefore pertinent to use Aristotle’s notion of a tragic hero to decide whether Oedipus the King is a tragic character or not. One of the four characteristics of a true tragic hero according to Aristotle is that he must be a good man. Aristotle was of the opinion that a true tragic hero must neither be vicious nor immoral. Using this characteristic to decide the fate of Oedipus the King as a tragic hero, it would be seen that he is actually a true tragic hero as he possesses this quality. Though many people believe that Oedipus was an arrogant and proud king, but the fact remains that he was good to his people. Oedipus showed love to his people and he was a king that was devoted to truth and justice during his reign. Aristotle also opined that a hero must have a tragic flaw as this is what shows that he is not only a true human but also a true tragic hero. Oedipus’ tragic flaw was seen when he experienced a change of fortune from good to bad (Meyer & Downs 1535-1537). Oedipus was a king that was destroyed after the people learnt that he killed his own father and married his own mother and this was Oedipus’ tragic flaw. These are the qualities that Oedipus possesses and makes him qualified to be called a good but flawed king. It is therefore not wrong to classify Oedipus as a true tragic hero going by Aristotle’s notion that a true tragic hero must be a good man that also has his own flaws (Meyer & Downs). Another characteristic of a true tragic hero according to Aristotle is that he must be suitable for his position in life. Was Oedipus appropriate or suitable for his position in life? Oedipus played his role as a king effectively and appropriately and proved that he was appropriate for his position. Oedipus’ pride and arrogance is something that is typical of kings as they try to show that they are in control and the fact that Oedipus had this attribute is a pointer that he was appropriate for his position in life. If there is any attribute that should be appreciated in Oedipus, it is his self-confidence (Meyer & Downs 1532-1535). Oedipus’ confidence was seen when he summoned courage to solve the puzzle of the Sphinx in spite of the Sphinx’s threat to kill anybody that failed the puzzle. The fact that Oedipus summoned enough courage to stand up to the challenge of the Sphinx showed that he was a man that played his role as the king perfectly as he led by example. Oedipus was a courageous man that had confidence in himself and this is what makes people believe that he was arrogant. It is expected that a king should be unyielding and rigid as these are the true hallmarks of a great leader and the fact that Oedipus possesses these great qualities is an indication that he was a great king that could take decisions on his own without regretting them. This shows that Oedipus was a true tragic hero as he possesses one of Aristotle’s fundamental characteristics of a true tragic hero. Oedipus demonstrated the love that he had for his people when he tried to solve the puzzle of the Sphinx that would stop their suffering and it is this dedication to the wellbeing of his people that has made him suitable for his position as the King of Thebes. Thus, it is no gainsaying that Oedipus the King is a true tragic hero going by Aristotle’s principle. Aristotle also says that a true tragic hero should possess a likeness to human nature. A question that comes to mind: Does Oedipus truly possess a likeness to human nature? This question is actually justified if one considers the general belief that Oedipus saw himself as a king that was larger than life. Oedipus showed that he also had flaws and was not in any way perfect. The humanity in the life of Oedipus the king was seen when he tried to prevent a sad event from taking place. Oedipus showed that he was like any other human, when he tried to run away from Corinth on hearing that he was going to kill his own father. He tried to use human means to run away from his fate not knowing that he was actually strolling into his destiny. Humans are known to run away from their destinies and they end up walking into the same things they ran away from in the first place and the fact that Oedipus tried to avert his own fate showed that he was just like any other human. Aristotle believed that a true tragic hero is not a ‘superhuman’ as people believe he should be (Meyer & Downs 1534). Oedipus also showed that he was truly human when he blamed other people for the problems that he caused himself. This was seen when Oedipus blamed Tiresias for being the cause of the sufferings of the people of Thebes through his (Tiresias) prophecies, whereas it was Oedipus himself that brought the plague upon his people through the murder of Laius. He is of the opinion that a true tragic hero must have elements of humanity in him and this is actually what Oedipus showed through his exploits in the play (Meyer & Downs). The fourth characteristic that a true tragic hero must possess according to Aristotle is that he must be consistent and if the hero is inconsistent he must be steady in his inconsistency. The implication of this is that a true tragic hero must have qualities that are consistent and this is actually what Oedipus showed in his act in the play. Oedipus the King was known as a man that solved riddles and puzzles from the beginning of the play and he maintained this status up to the end of the play. Oedipus the King could then be classified as a true tragic hero. Oedipus tried to find out the truth about cases that were brought before him. He also tried to solve the puzzle about his own identity. Oedipus was depicted as someone that does not like mysteries and it is in the process of unraveling these mysteries that he solved puzzles and this became his trademark throughout the play. Thus, Oedipus was consistent in his attempt to solve puzzles and he satisfies Aristotle’s condition of a true tragic hero. Stubbornness and pride are attributes that are consistent with Oedipus throughout the play and this further corroborates the assertion that Oedipus was a true tragic hero (Meyer & Downs). Aristotle also suggested another quality and this is regarded as the fifth quality. He was of the opinion that a true tragic hero should come from one of the houses of ancient Greece. Oedipus was from the royal house of Thebes and this means that he had all the right to become the king of Thebes. Thus, going by this quality, Oedipus could be regarded as a true tragic hero. Thus, Oedipus could be considered as a tragic hero as he meets Aristotle’s criteria of a true tragic hero. Oedipus was a good but flawed ruler, appropriate for his position, has human traits, consistent and from a royal house. These are the qualities that Oedipus possesses and they qualify him to be called a true tragic hero going by Aristotle’s notion of a tragic hero. Work Cited Meyer, Michael & Downs, Doug. Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature. 8th Ed Boston, MA: Bedford/St Martin’s, 2008 Read More