Oedipus King as a Hero

Oedipus is not one of those everyday heroes we see at the end of those million dollars Hollywood movies, but in fact a tragic hero who fails to achieve happiness in such a way that it brings upon fear and pity by everyone in the highest degree. In the play Oedipus by Sophocles, Oedipus' self-destruction and fall from power leaves him as the hero in the play. The very thing he fights so hard to discover is what leads to his self-destruction. Here for, we tend to feel sorrow for Oedipus seeing that it was only the fate of the Gods and the oracles.

The play Oedipus by Sophocles is an ironic tragic tale in which we feel much sympathy for the tragic hero, Oedipus. A character with a mixture of good and evil is more compelling that a character who is merely good. Oedipus is definitely not perfect; although a clever man, he is blind to the truth and refuses to believe Teiresias's warnings and everyone else's. This tragedy evoked pity and fear in its viewers, causing the viewers to experience a feeling of catharsis.

"Tell me, and never doubt that I will help you / In every way I can; I should heartless" (p.723, 13 – 14). Oedipus was a very caring king; he cared for Thebes and his people with unconditional love. When he was exiled from his beloved city he did it by choice, but the fact that he left in order for plague to vanish shows his leadership and heroic qualities. This next part of the play is very sad and heartbreaking. Oedipus leaves the city in which he ruled, saved from the sphinx and now breaking a plague, which is not an easy task to comply with. The Chorus and people are deeply sympathetic to Oedipus, and appreciative of his willingness to go voluntarily into exile to save the city.

Even though many may say that he was the one to cause the plague, and an embarrassment to the city, he was also the one to free the city of the plague, therefore it can be concluded that Oedipus once again saved the city of Thebes. He may not be a Hero, and in this play a villain, however he could have ignored the fact that he was the murder of king and gone on with his life, but he didn't, Oedipus is in fact a hero! For these reasons we can feel sympathy towards Oedipus and his ill-fated life and destiny.

Another element contributing to the tragic effect and sorrow is the use of the error of judgment due to ignorance. When Oedipus finally understands what he has done, he is so disgusted with himself that the readers are afraid for him and what