In the play Oedipus the King we identify the classic tragic hero. The character Oedipus Rex plays the role of the tragic hero perfectly. He shows the three main characteristics being talented and of noble birth, possessing a tragic flaw that causes the downfall and pain of everyone, and the recognition of responsibility. Oedipus’s first characteristic of being a tragic hero is being talented and of noble birth. Oedipus was talented because during his journey to runaway form his curse, the oracle foresaw for him. He stumbled upon the Riddle of the Sphinx in Thebes; Oedipus solved the riddle and was rewarded to be king and was given the old kings wife.
(“ You freed us from the Sphinx; you came to Thebes and cut us loose from the bloody tribute we had paid that harsh, brutal singer. ” Line 44) As Oedipus was being rewarded for his talents no one knew that Oedipus was already of noble birth and was the true heir to this kingship. Only the blind prophet of Thebes Tiresias knew before anyone else found out that Oedipus was the old king’s son which made him nobility. Line 373-375 hints it the strongest that Tiresias knows something that no one else does “ None of you knows and I will never reveal my dreadful secrets, not to say your own.
”) The next characteristic that shows Oedipus playing the tragic hero was him possessing a tragic flaw. Oedipus’s flaw was being a very narcissistic person. He might have been a good leader for all the years that has past but he was very full of himself and made sure everyone remembers that he solved the riddle of the sphinx even though it was many years ago. Another thing was if his people had problems like the plague that was spreading no one was as sick as im because to him he had to be number one no matter what the situation. Lines 71-73 show his personality perfectly “ Well I know you are sick to death, all of you, but sick as you are, not one is as sick as I.
” This personality of his stirred up a lot of trouble for himself that had the real truths of him surface in front of everyone. That he was the curse that the profit reveals to Laius and Jocasta. Jocasta realized that he was her son when he pushed the answers out of the messenger and the messenger said “ No sir, another shepherd passed you on to me. ” Line 1140- 141” He called himself the servant of… if I remember rightly-Laius. ” Line 1143-1144.
Now that Jocasta figured it out she was so afraid she kept begging Oedipus to not push any father to leave it along, but he was not satisfied and needed to know where he came from and was he of nobility or a servant. Oedipus’s recognition of his responsibility was very easy for him. He kept pushing for answers whether or not he was this curse the prophecies foresaw and he did get what he wanted and put the pieces together and figured out he was the prophecies curse that he killed his father nd he did marry his mother. Oedipus-“ I’d never have come to this, my father’s murderer-never been branded mother’s husband, all men see me now! ” Line1491-1493. Oedipus felt he was blind and couldn’t see his fate with his eyes, and that he should have seen this coming. The next horror to come for Oedipus was for him to walk into the room where Jocasta hung herself.
He ran to her and cut her down this was the final act he could witness, and took her brooches and gouged them into his eyes so he could never see the pain he has caused everyone again. Messenger-“ You, you’ll see no more the pain I suffered, all the pain I caused! Too long you looked on the ones you never should have seen; blind to the ones you longed to see, to know! In conclusion the tragic hero is a very intense role a character to play. As you can see in Oedipus the King, Oedipus was a character in the begging you probably hated for his selfishness, but just had to feel bad for seeing all these mysteries unfold before Oedipus showing he was the curse that the prophecies foresaw the one to murder his own father and then to wed his own mother.
