Tragic Flaws In Oedipus The King

In the mythical story Oedipus the King by Sophocles, the protagonist is plagued with the ultimate sin of hubris which provides him with the false belief of being equal to the Gods due to his own greatness. The tragic flaw of pride had caused the downfall of Oedipus because he attempted to go against the Gods by refusing to accept his fate and fulfill the prophecy. In order to maintain his power in Thebes, Oedipus is determined to save his people from the plague as well as himself by finding the murderer of King Laius. Oedipus had become a hero worthy of being viewed as a God by the people of Thebes however, his own pride had destroyed his legacy leading to an everlasting punishment provided by the Gods for his disobedience. Throughout various …show more content…
However, despite all of the success Oedipus had endured in Thebes, his own greatness served as his tragic flaw because he allowed his reputation as a savior and honorable king amongst his kingdom to ultimately leave him vulnerable for an attack. In Oedipus the King by Sophocles, Oedipus is told by an oracle that he is destined to kill his own father and then go on to marry his own mother thus bringing shame to the legacy of Oedipus. The act of committing hubris has allowed various characters such as Oedipus to essentially fall victim to their own greatness and accomplishments leading to a corrupt state of mind; due to this false perception, individuals feel they are equal to the Gods and therefore are superior to their rules and …show more content…
Oedipus had become a tragic hero by the story 's end because he allowed his various imperfections such as anger and hubris to dictate his fate through senseless actions due to the belief in his own superiority. As a result of his excessive pride, Oedipus had allowed his own arrogance to become his downfall because of his blind pursuit of the traitor of Thebes in order to preserve his power resulting in Queen Jocasta 's suicide. Oedipus is destined to endure a life filled with both loneliness and misery because he chose to blind himself rather than follow his wife 's acts of cowardice. However, despite Oedipus 's punishment, he demonstrated his heroism by sacrificing his own happiness once he begged for banishment in order to prevent his children from living a cursed life filled with a shame and so Thebes won 't have to suffer from the plague that his crime created. Despite suffering from his own flaws, Oedipus chose to accept his punishment of never possessing the ability to see and receiving banishment from Creon to ensure the safety of