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Oedipus The King: A Tragic Hero - Online Term Papers

Oedipus The King: A Tragic Hero

The downfall of a hero follows from his very nature. In Sophocles
play, Oedipus the King, (reprinted in X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia,
Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama, 6th ed. New York,
NY 1995), the playwright focuses on a man named Oedipus, the king of Thebes,
who is trying to discover the truth about his past. When he was born, his
parents learned from an oracle that their child would someday be the cause
of their death. Believing the oracle, they abandoned their infant son with
the intention of killing him. However, without their knowledge he is
rescued and raised by another couple. After many years, Oedipus visits a
different oracle and is informed that ...

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children. In Thebes the murder of the old King
Laios remains unknown, a plaque is again placed upon the city by the gods.
Oedipus, being the new leader of Thebes, pledges to discover the identity
of the murderer so he can end the disaster. In his searching, Oedipus
discovers that he is the murderer of the king and eventually discovers that
Iocaste is really his own mother. In a Greek tragedy the hero is a
character amply capable of choices, capable, too of accepting the
consequences. Whether Oedipus' sufferings are due to a flaw of character
or to an error of judgement, we discover that his downfall results from
acts for which he himself is responsible.

Oedipus is responsible for his own downfall. Through anger he lost
control of his actions. On his way to Thebes, Oedipus came upon a chariot
drawn by horses. As the charioteer pushed him off the road, Oedipus struck
him with rage.

The old man saw me/ and brought his double goad down upon my head/
Swinging ...

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Oedipus The King: A Tragic Hero. (2006, September 30). Retrieved January 11, 2026, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Oedipus-The-King-A-Tragic-Hero/53214

"Oedipus The King: A Tragic Hero." Essayworld.com. Essayworld.com, 30 Sep. 2006. Web. 11 Jan. 2026. <http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Oedipus-The-King-A-Tragic-Hero/53214>

"Oedipus The King: A Tragic Hero." Essayworld.com. September 30, 2006. Accessed January 11, 2026. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Oedipus-The-King-A-Tragic-Hero/53214.

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PAPER DETAILS

Added: 9/30/2006 10:00:48 PM
Category: Arts
Type: Premium Paper
Words: 874
Pages: 4

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