Besides the evident hubris and his flaw, Oedipus is truly blinded to how his fate is already being formed through the present moment of his reality and the raw tragedy behind this, is how he only begins to realize this until it is too late as his fate is displayed right in front of his very eyes. This was such a harsh reality to Oedipus that he gouged himself in both eyes on account of his “blindness”. In most plays, the protagonist generally dies at the end through committing suicide but the final tragedy with Oedipus is that he blinds himself because he truly believes that he deserves it as he didn’t use his advantage of having sight in a proper manner. This situation connects to a common trait of the hero receiving a fate that is greater than deserved which they generally bring upon themselves as they recognize their faults and tend to be melodramatic in regards to how they discipline themselves. This tragedy results in catharsis which is defined by www.dictionary.com as, “the purging of the emotions or relieving of emotional tensions,especially through certain kinds of art, as tragedy or music.” Frequently the two emotions of both pity or fear are what the audience experiences when supporting the protagonist keeping them constantly enticed.

Overall, I believe that Oedipus is the definition of a tragic hero as Sophocles put an tremendous twist on how man cannot overcome his inevitable fate, producing valuable lessons for both the protagonist as well as the audience.

In addition to the powerful characteristic that Oedipus posses, he also exhibits signs of potential tragic flaws and character downfall.Throughout the play Oedipus reveals his tragic flaws regarding his pride and arrogance and his anger towards the curse.  Oedipus beings to lose confidence from the people in Thebes and in himself. Oedipus soon is enlightened by his flaws and becomes aware of his fate.  Oedipus establishes his knowledge of his fate by saying, “I stand revealed at last, cursed in my birth, cursed in my marriage, cursed in the lives I cut down with these hands.”  He is now aware of his mortal curse, the marriage to his mother and the murder of his father.

These tragic flaws and downfalls foreshadows Oedipus’s potential pursuing for banishment from the city and his current life. Oedipus Rex reveals many characteristics similar in which a tragic hero obtain. His powerful, prestigious character who is well respected by many city members is then transformed into an arrogant character who is fixated on his curse and moves away from helping his people. Many of these traits relate to  a tragic hero and that is why I believe his character will end in self destruction or banishment from Thebes. 

If we take a look at the history of Greek theatre, there was a very specific audience the plays were written for, that of which never included women and slaves. Both had to stay home, all while the rich and wealthy men traveled to a mandatory play, albeit one that was written for them. In order for a tragic hero in Greek Tragedy to truly be considered a tragic hero by Aristotle’s definition, the hero must be of highborn status, or have gained it. Oedipus has done both, and is not only noble, but kind and valiant. He is meant to represent the audience in nature, to see injustice and want to fix it, making him all the more relatable and admirable. He is admirable as a man, and indeed wants to change the injustice he sees, but he also has a considerable amount of pride, foreshadowing his downfall early in the play. Not only does Aristotle theorize that a tragic hero must have an important downfall to be considered, but the trait in which is their downfall must be relatable, one that any man could have. 

Another example of Oedipus’ heroism is his choice to attempt to save the people of Thebes, as he constantly attempts to gain knowledge not only for himself, but for others. In truth, Oedipus only has the intentions of others and truly does wish to only better himself. This is noble, and a very human trait for Oedipus to possess. He is kind, unselfish, but determined and strong. He is a man that a male audience can look up to and idealize themselves as, which in turn makes the play all the more enjoyable and sought after amongst male audiences. He is what they could have perhaps considered an ‘average joe’ at the time.

Not only does Oedipus suffer a tragedy in itself of the discovery of his parentage, leading to his ultimate downfall, but he is so grief stricken that he gouges his eyes out instead of committing suicide. This proves to tell so much about Oedipus, and of who he is as a character. To die, and to have his shame die with him, would be so much kinder of a punishment for his sins, yet, he chooses to live the entirety of his life surrounded by darkness and despair because he sees that as a worthy punishment for what he’s done. That in itself is what makes him so remarkable as a tragic hero. Not only does he come to full awareness and terms with what he did, he repents and faces punishment for it. Oedipus also represents a uniqueness rarely seen in a tragic hero of mostly any play. He chose to live rather than die, which is unique, because almost always, the tragic hero ultimately meets death as a punishment as they come to a realization of their actions.

Besides the evident hubris and his flaw, Oedipus is truly blinded to how his fate is already being formed through the present moment of his reality and the raw tragedy behind this, is how he only begins to realize this until it is too late as his fate is displayed right in front of his very eyes. This was such a harsh reality to Oedipus that he gouged himself in both eyes on account of his “blindness”. In most plays, the protagonist generally dies at the end through committing suicide but the final tragedy with Oedipus is that he blinds himself because he truly believes that he deserves it as he didn’t use his advantage of having sight in a proper manner. This situation connects to a common trait of the hero receiving a fate that is greater than deserved which they generally bring upon themselves as they recognize their faults and tend to be melodramatic in regards to how they discipline themselves. This tragedy results in catharsis which is defined by www.dictionary.com as, “the purging of the emotions or relieving of emotional tensions,especially through certain kinds of art, as tragedy or music.” Frequently the two emotions of both pity or fear are what the audience experiences when supporting the protagonist keeping them constantly enticed.

Overall, I believe that Oedipus is the definition of a tragic hero as Sophocles put an tremendous twist on how man cannot overcome his inevitable fate, producing valuable lessons for both the protagonist as well as the audience.