Hamartia In Sophocles Oedipus The King

The use of hamartia is a key component to a tragedy in Greek times. In the festival of Dionysus, the use of hamartia played a key role in the production of tragic plays that enhances the audience experience in establishing morals and ideals in many different ways. Sophocles’ Oedipus the King is a key example of this, a play about the unfortunate destiny bestowed upon Oedipus. During the play, Oedipus attempts to flee from his destiny that he will marry his mother and kill his father. The dramatic irony where Oedipus tries to doubt the gods is imprudent and foolish, and his hamartia further led him to his tragic downfall. Throughout this tragedy, the use of hamartia is used to justify the catastrophic events that happened to Oedipus and his hubris further led into his anagnorisis, which ultimately leads him …show more content…
He explains to Jocasta that he went to the oracle of Apollo to find out if he was adopted by Polybus and what he got was a dreadful prophecy bestowed unto him. As he was delivered the prophecy from the oracle “To lie with my mother and beget children men’s eyes would not bear the sight of - and to be the killer of the father that gave me life. I ran away.” This shows how Oedipus runs away from prophecy and is behaving like he is above the gods. If Oedipus didn’t run away the prophecy wouldn’t have come true and his over-confidence was the Oedipus trait that led to his epic downfall. As Jocasta hears what has happened she appears proclaiming there’s no such thing as prophecy that “There is no human being born that is endowed with prophetic power.” This shows how, Jocasta toys with her role of authority and tries to convince Oedipus that prophecies do not come true. Of course she was wrong because the prophecy came exactly true, but it shows how her hubris led into her downfall of suicide as