How is Oedipus a tragic hero?

Was a tragic hero from Aristotle's definition.

He was viewed as the ideal tragic hero because he was unaware of his own flaw. The identity of his parents.

If you did not know, short summary, it was foretold that upon his birth Oedipus would kill his own father, so after birth his mother and father tried to get rid of the baby. He was saved and grew up not knowing his true parents. One day meets a stranger kills him (really his father) then proceed to marry his real mother (unkowingly) and father his own brothers and sisters.

Tragic in the sense that he has undergone change from good to bad.

"A man doesn't become a hero until he can see the root of his own downfall." - Aristotle

Four characteristics of the tragic hero:

Nobility (of a noble birth) or wisdom (by virtue of birth).

Hamartia (translated as flaw, mistake, or error)

A reversal of fortune(peripetia) brought about because of the hero's Hamartia.

The discovery or recognition that the reversal was brought about by the hero's own actions (anagnorisis).

Read Samson Agonistes by John Milton for another tragic hero, look for any similarities between characterisations.

1. Discuss Oedipus as a tragic hero according to the elements of Classic Greek drama?

• Protagonist is of High Estate Oedipus is of high estate for he is king and he also is the one who solved the riddle of the sphinx

• Has a downfall and learns a lesson one that effects the whole community

• Hamartia is a tragic flaw or weakness of a character ( FALLIBLE: A DOWN FALL AS A RESULT OF THE WEAKNESS)

• Hubris is extreme pride or over confidence by nature it will lead to the downfall of the hero from act which he himself is responsible for. Oedipus is over confident….he accepts responsibility for killing Laius

• Peripety is an action that turns out to have the opposite effect from the one it had intended the example being Oedipus leaves his fake parents with good intentions to avoid the truth of the oracle. The oracle was Oedipus would kill his own father, and marry his mother so after birth his mother and father tried to get rid of the baby. He was saved and grew up not knowing his true parents. One day Oedipus meets a stranger kills him (really his father) then proceed to marry his real mother (unknowingly) and father his own brothers and sisters.

• Anagnorisis is the critical moment of recognition or discovery of some fact not known before. It may also be a person true identity. It can be enlightenment such as the character might realize he or she own doings. When Oedipus realizes that it was him who was the one killing Laius he fell into the trap of the oracle

Let me think....

-He got abandoned as a child when he was young

-He was left to die due to a prophecy

-He accidentally killed his father

-He defeated the sphinx before marrying his mother

-One day it came back to haunt him when he discovers he killed his father and married his mother

-Therefore he is both a murderer of his parent and in aa incestuous relationship

That's as bout as tragic you can get.

Well,

if you killed your father and married your mother, I'd think it was pretty tragic don't ya think?

Although it's fairly common on Jerry Springer...pff, nothing shocks me these days.

tragic means sad!!!

First of all, you should do your own homework.

Second of all, read the story, those questions are fairly straightforward.