Oedipus the King :: Classics

Oedipus the KingOedipus the King EssayOedipus Rex lived his life knowing the plenty to which he was destined.He tried at all costs to avoid Apollos prophecies however, this onlyled him to a acres of tragedy and despair. This outcome made itjustifiable for the educated reader to label him as a sad hero.Oedipus obvious identification made it all the more difficult toinvestigate the question as to whether there could be more than onetragic hero per novel. The supporting characters of Jocasta andLaius were possibilities, and in the following paragraphs, theirlikeness to a figure of tragedy will be expressed.The character of Laius had already died the moment the play began,however, because his presence played such a significant role in thenovel, the reader was still able to order a great deal about him.The biological father of Oedipus had been the reigning king and helived in riches with his wife Jocasta in wealth and riches. This stateof prosperity eventually was transformed into a p athetic end when hewas killed in the street by his own password. This fulfills the firstproperty of a tragic hero. Laius also experiences pain that had beenpartially self-inflicted. He sent his son, Oedipus, away to be killedat an early age, and in the end, it was this discarded son that killedhim. Laius then must submit realized that this pain was the result ofallowing others to do his dirty work. If he had had the courage tokill the infant himself, then the misfortune of dying at the hand ofhis son would have been avoided. Not wanting to sway from thestereotypical traits of a king, Laius exhibited a pride that waslargely displayed in the situation that had him killed. Instead ofleaving the road for Oedipus to pass, he insisted on maintaining hisstature and he tried to push Oedipus off the road (p.56). This ismore specifically defined as hubris, and is another essentialcharacteristic of a tragic figure. Similar to the unyielding pride ofa king, is the expression of ones mind at t he expense of his ownbody. Again, the crossroads situation can be used, as can the generalnature of a typical king, a personality from which Laius did not sway.The preceding two points illustrate the main flaw of Laius, King ofThebes. It has numerous times been proven that pride can be onesdownfall, and the existence of this trait in Laius personality, andthe fact that it was this that killed him, prove that he experienced