Oedipus The King: A High-Minded Man

Oedipus’ life is like a bad fortune cookie. He is short of luck and is destined to a bad future. Throughout his misfortune he still exemplifies a few of Aristotle’s “The High-Minded Man” qualities. Aristotle wrote of qualities that only a man of greatness and happiness would acquire. The essay, “The High-Minded Man” by Aristotle reflects characteristics of Oedipus In Oedipus Rex, he displays the high-minded qualities of truth and honor, but lacks in the gift of fortune.

"Oedipus the King" written by Sophocles, is a powerful Greek tragedy story. The protagonist, Oedipus is a heroic mythical king who had it all. Oedipus pursues to find the true answers to his identity and destiny, while at the same time trying to avoid fulfilling his destiny.

In the opening scene, Oedipus reveals that he really, truly cares about his people. “Oedipus’ first words, and the very fact that he has appeared in person to meet a delegation of Thebans, show that he is a man of compassion” (p.3). He reveals that he is a smart leader that has control of his emotions. He is able to be strong for his people, while still remaining transparent, and tell them the truth about the plague affecting their city; this shows the relationship he has with his community. The Thebans gathered outside the palace to ask him to take action and he is willing to do whatever he can to save Thebes. Oedipus seeks to find justice and the cause of the plague that is killing the people of Thebes so he can put an end to it.

Courage is defined as the “ability to do something that frightens one” or, “strength in the face of pain or grief.” Three characters that show a great deal of courage in their story’s include, Oedipus from the play Oedipus the King, Antigone from the play Antigone, and Socrates from Plato’s plays The Apology and Crito. All three characters courageously pursued what they thought was right- Oedipus in finding out who his birth parents were and who murdered Laius, Antigone in burying her brother Polynices, even if it meant her punishment or death, and Socrates in leading the examined lifestyle-even when it meant his imprisonment and death by the city. All three characters did what they thought was right. But their courage cannot only be measured by their initial beliefs and choices, but also by their responses to the consequences of the choices they made.

     Throught Oedipus Rex, Oedipus displays his heroism many times. From the Prologue of the play to the moment in which he leaves Thebes, Oedipus' heroics are extremely apparent; however, at the same time, the decisions which make Oedipus a hero ultimately become the decisions which bring him to shame and exile.

From the very beginning, what makes Oedipus ' actions in his quarrel with Teiresias and also throughout the play so dramatically compelling, is the fact that the audience knows the outcome of the story. We know Oedipus ' fate even before he does, and there is no suspense about the outcome itself, instead, the audience anxiously awaits Oedipus to reveal his fate unto himself in his desperate quest to rid his city of the terrible plague, or maybe even more so, to simply discover his own unfortunate tale. Oedipus is relentless in his pursuit of the truth, and his determination is commendable. There is nothing that compels him to act in this way, instead he freely chooses, with much zeal, to initiate the chain of events that will ultimately lead to his downfall. It is this interplay between Oedipus’ own free will and his fated eventuality that is the crux of the play, and constitutes the main dramatic power.

Oedipus the King by Sophocles is about Oedipus, a man doomed by his fate. Like most tragedies, “Oedipus the King” contains a tragic hero, a heroic figure unable to escape his/her own doom. This tragic hero usually has a hamartia or a tragic flaw which causes his/hers’ downfall. The tragic flaw that Sophocles gives Oedipus is hubris (exaggerated pride or self-confidence), which is what caused Oedipus to walk right into the fate he sought to escape.

Charles could see Erik giving up as sharply as he felt it, the small spark that he’d come to label in his own mind as ‘life force’ dwindling to an ember and extinguishing. He was stepping forward before he could stop himself, blooding rushing in his ears against time as he spoke. “Dēsístite!“

The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle once identified the key ingredients of the tragedies that his culture is so famous for. These ingredients include a character with a fatal flaw, the realization of the fault for a particular problem and the final sudden reversal of fortune. For many tragedies, the fatal flaw is demonstrated as excessive pride, which usually serves as the driving force of the play’s action. It is common, even beneficial, to have pride in oneself, but when it becomes expressed as arrogance or in defiance of one’s fate, it is considered excessive and often leads men to engage in activities that will lead to their downfall. Aristotle (1998) stated “the tragic hero falls into bad fortune because of some flaw in his

Irony throughout the play emphasizes certain weaknesses in Oedipus's character such as hubris and stubbornness. These traits enable Oedipus to refuse the advice of his peers. For example. earlier in the play, Oedipus states to the people of Thebes that those who know the identity of Laius's murderer should tell him everything. Yet when Tiresias tells him the truth, he refuses Tiresias's advice and eventually the advice of others throughout the play. Although Oedipus's determination to pursue the truth can be seen as admirable, the refusal to listen to such advice, especially from

Oedipus is a play that shows the relationship between Oedipus and the prophecy. In Oedipus Rex,the theme of a prophecy and sin are evident in the plot and overall story line. Oedipus tells the story of when Oedipus, the king of thebes, finds out who his actual father is. Oedipus is about when Oedipus kills his father, and marrys his mother and has five kids with her. Once he finds this out Jocasta, his mother, hanges herself with her bed sheets, and Oedipus pocks his eyes out. Oedipus is shown to be about the relationship with humans and sin. It's about the journey that most humans face. Oedipus shows themes like the cross-roads where Oedipus kills his father. The Cross represents the cross roads that Oedipus experiences in his life. It's representative

However, in spite of all of his positive qualities, he is a man that is prone to arrogance and impulsive behaviors. At the opening of the play, when he addresses the city about the plague, he tells them not to worry for “Here I am myself...the world knows my fame: I am Oedipus” (7-8), implying that he can solve any problem simply because of who he is. Oedipus also shows his arrogance by comparing himself to the gods. After hearing the chorus’ cries to the gods for help he tells the city of Thebes to “Let [him] grant [their] prayers...listen to [him]”(245-246). Oedipus displays his quick temper after the prophet Tireseas declines to tell him who Laius's murderer is; he hastily becomes infuriated at the prophet, telling him he is "scum of the earth . . . [a man who] would enrage a heart of stone" (381).

King Laius was married to Jocasta, a distant cousin. He was expected to be killed based off Apollo’s oracle. Apollo’s oracle stated that King Laius were be killed by his son. To rid of this oracle once his son was born he tied his feet together and left his son on a mountain by himself. King Laius was killed and everyone thought that it was five robbers who killed him. One of the robbers lived. Oedipus arrived in the country of Thebes to leave his “father” Polybus who again was expected to be killed by his son. Polybus was Oedipus’s father after his real father gave him up. When Oedipus come to Thebes he solved the riddle that was unsolvable. Sphinx, a monster

Over the years, tragedy has undergone an evolution in order to fit in with the status quo and the demands of society. Aristotle created the perfect formula for the Greek tragedy which can be found in The Poetics. His formation of tragedy revolves around the use of plot, character, diction, lyrical poetry, and speculation (Aristotle). In the layout of Aristotle’s layout of tragedy, a tragic hero who undergoes a severe judgement error to lead to his/her downfall which is greater than deserved. This definition of a tragic hero can be seen in most tragedy which includes Greek, Shakespearean (Classical), and Modern tragedy. These three tragedies have different aspects, but in the end all have the same roots. With the help of Aristotle’s The Poetics, the evolution of tragedy and the tragic figure over the years has been apparent through the author’s use of peripeteia, anagnorisis, and hamartia.

"Oedipus the King" is a tragic play showing a shift from the belief of fate to freedom of choice. Therefore, Oedipus the king is a great example of those who run from fate ends up fulfilling their fate