Comparing Oedipus The King And Hippolytus

A tragic hero is not equivalent to the heroes that people think of today. A tragic hero does not necessarily display courage, bravery, and strength in grim times, making them different than the heroic characters people think of today. Many famous Greek playwrights wrote about tragic heroes, but each one chose to focus on different characteristics, depending on how they defined a tragic hero. This is why when examining the characters Oedipus, in Oedipus the King (Sophocles), and Hippolytus, in Hippolytus (Euripides), and comparing their actions to Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero, many differences are found, but some consistent similarities. Although, this does not mean that one definition is more correct than the other, instead …show more content…
In the beginning, Oedipus shows many hubris characteristics when saying “You pray to the gods? Let me grant your prayers” showing that he sees himself as an equal to the gods (Oedipus the King, line 245). Thinking that you are equal to the gods was an outrageous idea and completely out of place, although this showed that Oedipus had great confidence in himself, a trait that many great leaders possess. Oedipus comparing himself to the gods shows that he has a lot of pride, a key trait of a tragic hero. Also a key characteristic of a tragic hero, Oedipus is doomed from the beginning of his life. Apollo had given Oedipus a prophecy that said he would murder his father and sleep with his mother, without knowing this prophecy existed, he fulfilled it killing his father, Laius, and marring his mother, Jocasta. Oedipus did not know that he was committing actions that would eventually destroy him, but because of Apollo’s prophecy, he was doomed from the beginning of his life, something that many tragic heroes have in …show more content…
After solving the riddle of the Sphinx, Oedipus becomes the ruler of Thebes. Here he shows that he genuinely cares about his people as he promises to kill the man who has caused the plague over the city, which is believed to be a good deed. After Oedipus learns that he is the murderer of his own father, he cannot bear to look at himself and stabs out his own eyes. This action of taking his own eyesight proved that he felt sorry for and was ashamed of his action and took full responsibility of them, all characteristics of a good person. In Oedipus the King, Oedipus was a tragic hero because he was a good man who unfortunately could not escape the prophecy that was unknowingly given to him in the beginning of his