The Tragedy Of Oedipus Essay, Research Paper

Aristotle’s definition of tragedy entails the protagonist, usually of high ranking in society, losing his power and happiness. Tragedy in this play occurs when the protagonist, Oedipus, falls from his pedestal into murder and incest, because of the inevitable fate the gods have cursed upon him from birth. Oedipus not only possesses a tragic fate but also has a tragic flaw, pride. This tragic flaw eventually makes the impact of him falling from his throne to the hands of fate much more profound. Oedipus held himself in very high regard. We see his pride shown through out the story but specifically when he was speaking to Teiresias; “When the hellcat the Sphinx was performing here,…Her magic was not for the first man who came along: It demanded a real exorcist. …But I came by,…And this is the man you think you can destroy, ” (Sophocles p1265). Oedipus creates an image of himself to himself and the audience that is infallible and untouchable. This makes him vulnerable and his situation more tragic when he falls.

As a small child Oedipus was given away because of the prophecy that one day he would kill his father and marry his mother. He found a home in Corinth where grew up thinking the king and queen of Corinth were his parents. When he caught wind of the prophecy as young man he fled Corinth and wound up in Thebes where he would become king and marry the queen. He conquered the Sphinx and earned the respect of the citizens. He took a lot of pride in his ability to rule and be a great man. Oedipus did not know that the Oracle’s prophecy and his pride would bring down from the ranks of greatness. He could not escape it; it was his fate.

Taking a deeper look into Aristotle’s definition of a tragedy we learn that a tragedy must show the protagonist falling from good fortune to misfortune. How the protagonist comes to this misfortune must be complex. Oedipus falls from a king to suffering blind man. The course of events that lead Oedipus to tragedy are finely intertwined as we see in the previous paragraph. The prophecy made by the Oracle was unavoidable.

Another important key to Oedipus’s story being tragic is the element of pity. The play induced pity from the audience. Oedipus was a good citizen and a great king but he still wound up in misery. We would feel differently if Oedipus had done something to deserve this fate. We would not feel as much pity for him when he gouges his eyes out and exiles himself if he had deserved it. Instead we ask why was he punished. Again it was his fate that brought him down. Nothing he could do would change the outcome of his life and the events that occurred.