Oedipus Rex Research Paper

Sometimes the underdog of the story, in the beginning, can turn out to be the hero in the end. In “Oedipus Rex” written by Sophocles during ancient times, Oedipus, the son of Jocasta and Thebes, does not believe that the prophecy peopling are telling him is true. The prophecy states that Oedipus will kill his father and marry his mother. But, by the end of the tragedy the claimed prophecy comes true, Oedipus finds out his true identity, and embodies the qualities of a tragic hero. Oedipus Rex is a tragic hero because he has a tragic flaw, he gains self-knowledge, and he fixes his mistakes, and this relates to the theme of the story of how he embarks on a quest for his identity. Every tragic hero has a weakness in them or a tragic flaw that causes them to become a tragic hero. The tragic flaw Oedipus Rex possesses is the characteristic of pride. At the beginning of the tragedy, Oedipus does not have any self-knowledge. During this time Oedipus is being arrogant and does not care about what the people in Thebes think of him. Oedipus also believes that he will be …show more content…
Throughout his journey, Oedipus grows as a character and finds out who he really is and he finds out what is purpose is. Once Oedipus gains his self-knowledge and fixes his mistakes this allows him to find out who he truly is. In the conversation between the messenger, the shepherd, and Oedipus, the messenger says “King Oedipus was once that little child”(Sophocles 1082). When Oedipus hears this, he realizes that the prophecy was about him the whole time and he is no longer ignorant to the situation. Oedipus has found out his true identity because he knows that he killed his father, he knows that he married his mother, and he now he also feels guilty about the situation because of his daughters. This relates to the theme of the tragedy because him being a tragic hero shows how he found his