Oedipus Rex: Sophocles’ Tragic Hero

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Oedipus Rex: Sophocles’ Tragic Hero
Greek philosopher Aristotle, in his famous work entitled Poetics, defined in distinct detail what characteristics a tragedy must have and what qualities a tragic hero must possess in order to differentiate the written work from a regular story and the main character from a run-of-the-mill protagonist. This paper will argue that Sophocles’ character Oedipus Rex is an excellent example of Aristotle’s tragic hero. This essay will outline the concepts that Aristotle put forth about how tragedies must unfold, what qualities a tragic hero must embody, along with the concepts of hamartia and hubris. It will then present examples from the play Oedipus the King to illustrate how the lead character fully...

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