So, we're reading Oedipus Rex right now in English, and before we read it we read about tragic heroes. Here are some characteristics of tragic heroes, as defined by our book:
Usually of noble birth
Good, but not perfect, and his fall results from "an act of injustice"
His downfall is his own fault
His misfortune is not wholly deserved
The fall is not pure loss, that is, they gain something before they die
The audience feels some kind of pity for him
Now, I have one really big complaint with Oedipus being a tragic hero:
He hasn't done anything good yet.
Tragic heroes are defined as essentially good, but having a flaw or two. They're imperfect. Oedipus has not done anything that suggests to me he is a good person deep down. He kills five or six men (including his father, but he didn't know), turns on his best friend, and is really happy when the dad who raised him dies. He is selfish, angry, violent, and stubborn. He also refuses to listen to anyone, and assumes the world is out to get him when they're trying to tell him the truth.
We read the Odyssey (well, parts of it) Freshman year, and used Odysseus as a model for a tragic hero. Odysseus has hubris (which is kind of like pride, but not really, according to Mr. Mullins) just like Oedipus, and he is also a little bit unlikable, but they still come across differently to me.
Here's more about Odysseus if you haven't read or don't remember all the way back to Freshman year.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odysseus#Journey_home_to_Ithaca
Do you think Oedipus deserves some credit? I might be kind of harsh. Obviously the people who wrote this book think he was a tragic hero, and they know a lot more than I do. We've only read half the play, do you think he is going to change before he dies?
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