The Tragic Hero
The poetics essay explains Aristotle’s greatest tragedy that happened to be Oedipus, the king who fitted almost entirely to the standards of a hero as set by Aristotle. According to Aristotle, a perfect hero must be decent, able to err, given excessive punishment, hold a high position and come to a later recognition of truth enabling them to live like the other human beings. Oedipus is a tragic hero.
Just like Oedipus, a tragic hero should be decent. Oedipus fits the acceptable moral standards of society. It is evident that the king does not make any decisions without getting advice from the oracle. Oedipus is not engaged in dirty acts that would otherwise tarnish his good name. After the death of his father, Oedipus is afraid of committing incest with his mother until he learns that indeed that was not her mother. The fear of committing incest shows how Oedipus was respectful of moral standards.
Furthermore, Oedipus possessed a tragic flaw and was able to err like a tragic hero. According to Aristotle, a tragic hero must fall from a high position, not because of a clear vice but a mistake or flaw. Oedipus errs in failing to respect the advice of the oracle. When the blind prophet tells Oedipus that he was the murderer, Oedipus fails to believe and it is this failure to believe makes Oedipus not ready for the unfolding of events at the later stages of life. As prophesied, Oedipus becomes blind by his hand and after that becomes a native citizen.
The punishment for a tragic hero should be more massive than the crimes committed. Oedipus is a victim of fate, and the punishment he receives is not from deliberate actions. A prophesy that Oedipus would eventually kill his father makes him grow as an adopted child. On realizing the secret that had been kept from him, Oedipus enrages in fury, but he faces the death of his mother and loses sight at the same time.
Aristotle sets a standard that a tragic hero should hold a high position to make his fall tragic. Oedipus had just risen into the position of a king when he decided to inquire about his fate in life. Kingship was the highest leadership position of the time. After learning of the events that had unfolded without his knowledge, Oedipus takes out his own eyes and becomes blind. The fall from a king to a native citizen is fit to make Oedipus a tragic hero according to Aristotle’s standards.
A tragic leader should come to the point of realization of truth and live like a normal human being. Oedipus faces a similar transition as Aristotle describes. Oedipus realizes truth after living in ignorance for a long time. The transition, however, comes at a cost since Oedipus loses his wife, mother, and sight at the same time. Ironically, the loss of sight brings Oedipus a regain of insight and lives as a normal human being after that, which carries a complexity that is according to Aristotle’s standard of tragic heroism.
Oedipus is a tragic hero as he fits almost perfectly into Aristotle’s definition of tragic heroism. The combination of decency, tragic flaws, punishment heavier than the crimes committed, holding a high position and coming into a point of realization later in life makes Oedipus a tragic hero.