Who is the better example of a tragic hero Oedipus or Odysseus?

sarahb_862009-10-15T13:28:40Z

Favorite Answer

Oedipus. Mostly because, while Odysseus might have been forced to "wander" for years he eventually makes it home to his family and lives out the remainder of his days. This makes the Odyssey more of cautionary comedic tale in terms of how the Romans/Greeks told their stories.

Oedipus, on the other hand, has his whole life and being destroyed and ends up in a worse situation at the end of the story, despite having preexisting knowledge of what would happen to him. There-by making him more of a "hero" of the tragic genre.

Terry2009-10-15T14:19:21Z

Oedipus and the tragedy that was his life. Sent out to die as a child.
He was naive when it set out to find the truth of his life. Everything that happened to him was an innocent step toward tragedy. A fight at a crossroads where one dies. A sphinx with a riddle that means death if not answered correctly and with a kingdom as a prize if answered correctly. A mother married to a king at 15 that looks of a young age and is by tradition be wife of a new king if he accepts her. Every thing he did was right, but wrong was always there at the end.He is the epitome of the "Tragic Hero."

Jane S2009-10-15T13:13:09Z

Oedipus. He was a hero who's life turned into a tragedy because of his birth parents.

Anonymous2009-10-15T13:18:13Z

Oedipus: he thought he should marry his mom and kill his dad, and this can relate to many people today. So ipso facto relation to the real world= better story.

Anonymous2009-10-15T13:06:46Z

Odysseus.

He challenged the Gods and got what was coming to him.

Show more answers (1)