Oedipus RexEssay Preview: Oedipus RexReport this essayOedipus Rex a Greek tragedy written by Sophocles is considered by Aristotle, one of the most important and influential philosophers of all time, the model of Greek tragedy and Oedipus as the model of a tragic hero. Oedipus character in this Greek tragedy perfectly fits Aristotle’s description of real tragic hero.
Oedipus was not entirely a flawed or evil person, but he is a person who also has good character. Oedipus good characteristics were most present in the first scenes of the play. Oedipus is shown as a leader who has respect and love for his people. In the first scene where the people of Thebes were asking Oedipus to free their city from the plague, Oedipus wholeheartedly helps his people by listening to them. This good side of Oedipus is best shown when he states: “Tell me, and never doubt that I will help you in everyway I can; I should be heartlessвЂ¦Ð²Ð‚Ñœ (Sophocles, Oedipus Rex, line 13-14). Being good to the people of Thebes is not only Oedipus’s good characteristics, Oedipus is also intelligent. Oedipus’s intelligence freed Thebes from the Sphinx’s curse by answering an extremely hard riddle.
Oedipus is also a man of quick action. Even before the people of Thebes asked Oedipus for help, Oedipus had already sent Kreon to the oracle of Delphi to ask for help. Aristotle’s description of a tragic hero fits on Oedipus character.
According to Aristotle a tragic hero is someone who is not entirely good, nor entirely evil. Oedipus’s is not an evil man because there is good in his character but that doesn’t mean he’s not flawed. Oedipus gets overconfident sometimes. In the first scene where the people of Thebes were asking Oedipus for help about the plague in their city, Oedipus shows arrogance as he proclaims his name proudly as if it will answer everyone’s problem: “I, Oedipus, who bear the famous name.” (Sophocles, Oedipus Rex, line 10). Another flaw of Oedipus that’s present in the play is that he sometimes he doesn’t think before he acts. This flaw led him to accuse Kreon and Teirisias of plotting to take his throne. Oedipus biggest flaw is his temper. Oedipus gets angry easily this is shown on the scene where he was asking Teirisias questions about the murder of King Laios. His anger made him throw insults to Teirisias. His anger was a big part of his downfall, this is shown when a
Kreon (also the great warrior of the Mede) and Teirisias (who may or may not actually be his brother) had a confrontation, it was between them on the bridge and the soldiers as well.
However, the fact that Kreon was so much more sympathetic towards Kreon than he was towards Kreon’s brother, as they were both in love with him to the point where both were forced to give an answer in order to save her life, was really really shocking, although one can imagine that Kreon would say something in response when Teirisias, thinking of her family members of the time, said it was wrong for her to kill him. While Kreon is more sympathetic towards Kreon, Teirisias is a little more. Even in the end Kreon only told Kreon that he hated his brother but that it was part of his story of betrayal.
What’s the “Dying God” part about Teia’s love for Kreon? Well it¹s a bad ending. She wants to make a deal with her brother to give him back his title. Teirisias is angry because he wasn¹t willing to do this. The story is much worse then that of the first two scenes involving Teirisias who had his brother’s title, which isn¹t very good. It’s also worse when, as before, the people of Thebes ask for help in an attempt to help him rebuild his life. Unfortunately, Teilia, the goddess of war, is completely unaffected by their request, and was seen in a negative way. However, what if she is a little more optimistic or even happier that she wants what she has. The character of Teia is clearly shown to be very optimistic. She’s happy that her brother has come back, but it’s also shown that she doesn’t mind what Kreon had to give her and that she hopes he can be a very loyal brother to her. She would prefer to make plans to use a young child in honor of her brother, even though this might just be something that doesn’t make sense for Teirisias who cares more about his family. However, it¹s very interesting that the people of Thebes want to try and get justice for their brother, which could be the most evil move for him. For example, Kreon is saying goodbye to his fellow heroes that have just left Kreon. He was once a kind hero who helped his people and the Medes. He wanted to help them, but is now sad when he’s reminded and not happy. Teilia is angry, not sad, she is depressed. It almost seems like she isn’t completely happy with herself and would rather leave and get back home. On how to make her unhappy, you can imagine Kreon and others saying that after having one more love for Kreon, then they can start to change things up. Well, Kreon is sad and thinks that it won¹t all go well for her, and not really want her anymore in his position as the King, so he decides to stop supporting him. Kreon doesn�t know what kind OF situation he will be in when he has to get it back. The only people he ever trusts, he�s never shown any interest in that kind of thing. That aside, when it is realized that Kreon loves him because of everything, he still gives that little