Oedipus Essay Essay, Research Paper

Harmonizing to the Aristotelean features of good calamity, the tragic character should non fall due to either inordinate virtuousness or inordinate evil, but due to what Aristotle called tragic flaw. Hamartia may be interpreted as either a defect in character or an mistake in opinion. Oedipus, the tragic character in Sophocles Oedipus the King, surely makes several such errors ; nevertheless, the permeant form of his judgemental mistakes seems to bespeak a basic character defect that precipitates them.

Oedipus character defect is ego. This is made apparent in the gap lines of the prologue when he states & # 8220 ; Here I am myself & # 8211 ; you all know me, the universe knows my celebrity: I am Oedipus. & # 8221 ; ( ll. 7-9 ) His amour propre is the root cause of a figure of related jobs. Among these are foolhardiness, discourtesy, and obstinacy.

Oedipus displays an attitude of foolhardiness and discourtesy throughout the drama. When he makes his announcement and no 1 confesses to the slaying of Laius, Oedipus loses forbearance instantly and rushes into his expletive. Subsequently, he displays a short pique to Tiresias: & # 8220 ; You, you scum of the Earth. . . out with it, one time and for all! , & # 8221 ; ( ll. 381, 383 ) and & # 8220 ; Enough! Such crud from him? Insufferable & # 8211 ; what, still alive? Get out & # 8211 ; faster, back where you came from & # 8211 ; vanish! & # 8221 ; ( ll. 490-492 )

If an involuntariness to listen may be considered stubbornness, surely Oedipus would take advice from no 1 who would state

him to drop the affair of his individuality, among them Tiresias, the shepherd, and even Jocasta. Even after Oedipus thinks he has received a respite from the destiny he fears when he hears that Polybus is dead, he does non hold the sense to maintain still. “So! Jocasta, why, why expression to the Prophet s fireplace. . . all those prophesies I feared. . . they re nil, worthless, ” he says. ( ll.1053-1054, 1062, 1064 ) To the shepherd, Oedipus surely has no regard for the adult male s age when he tortures him. Oedipus inhuman treatment so literally squeezes his ain death out of the shepherd: “You re a dead adult male if I have to inquire once more. . . I m at the border of hearing horrors, yes, but I must hear! ” ( ll. 1281, 1285 )

After his acknowledgment and reversal, Oedipus exclaims & # 8220 ; The manus that struck my eyes was mine, . . . I did it all myself! & # 8221 ; ( ll. 1469, 1471 ) He is non merely mentioning to his self-inflicted mayhem, but besides the concatenation of events that led to his death. Creon subsequently remarks that & # 8220 ; it s better to inquire exactly what to do. & # 8221 ; ( l. 1578 ) In contrast to this observation, seemingly this is exactly what Oedipus should hold done.

Each of these events, when isolated, may be excused as a simple error. However, when viewed as a whole, a form emerges among these errors. The cumulative consequence is declarative of an implicit in character defect. Oedipus tragic flaw may most straight be his errors, but finally these errors flow from his self-importance. For Oedipus, tragic flaw surely refers to a defect.