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The Tragedy Of Oedipus - Online Term Paper

The Tragedy Of Oedipus

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 ...

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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 ...

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The Tragedy Of Oedipus. (2005, April 9). Retrieved January 11, 2026, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Tragedy-Of-Oedipus/25059

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PAPER DETAILS

Added: 4/9/2005 09:33:42 AM
Category: English
Type: Premium Paper
Words: 479
Pages: 2

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