Oedipus’ Admirable Character Traits: What You Need To Know
Oedipus is the tragically fated lead character of Oedipus the King by the Greek playwright Sophocles. Abandoned as a baby by his parents King Laius and Queen Jocasta of Thebes, Oedipus is fated to kill his father and marry his mother.
Despite his terrible fate, Oedipus is often an admirable character. His character is complex and well-formed, allowing us to sympathize and feel pity for him. Some of Oedipus’ most admirable traits are his determination, commitment to truth and justice, and his desire to be a good king to Thebes’ people.
What Is Oedipus’ Most Admirable Character Trait?
One of Oedipus’ most admirable traits is his determination. When he hears that the plague devastating Thebes is a result of Laius’ murder being unpunished, Oedipus stops at nothing to discover the truth about Laius’ murder.
Oedipus’ commitment to truth and justice is also admirable. He is a moral character who seeks to enforce justice for the murder of Laius. Despite being warned by the blind prophet Tiresias that Oedipus will be upset by the true identity of Laius’ murderer, Oedipus still stays committed to his search for the truth. This shows Oedipus’ admirable character traits of fearless commitment to truth and justice.
Even when Oedipus discovers the horrifying truth that he is, in fact, the perpetrator of the crime, he does not deny it or attempt to hide the truth. While a weaker man might have tried to save himself from punishment, instead, he accepts the punishment for Laius’ murder. Therefore, Oedipus blinds himself, exiled himself from Thebes and lives out the rest of his life as a blind beggar.
Ultimately Oedipus’ most admirable traits are his determination and commitment to knowledge, truth and justice. This shows Oedipus to be a just and fair character who admits to and accepts punishment for his mistakes.
Was Oedipus a Good King?: Oedipus Character Analysis
Oedipus is good and just in his position as King of Thebes. A good king always acts in the best interests of his people. Oedipus is committed to putting an end to the plague, devastating the people of Thebes. To save them, he begins his determined search for Laius’ murderer. He does this despite being warned that his search for the truth will harm him.
When he discovers that he is Laius’ murderer, he stays true to his commitment to the people of Thebes. He must accept the punishment for Laius’ murder to save his people from the plague. Thus, he blinds and exiles himself from Thebes.
Oedipus’ determined search for the truth on behalf of his people ultimately leads to his downfall and tragic end. Oedipus does not try to save himself by hiding the truth. Instead, he acts as a great and loyal king to the people of Thebes because he sacrifices himself for the higher cause of his people’s wellbeing.
Is Oedipus a Tragic Hero?
Oedipus is a perfect example of the character of the tragic hero. Aristotle identified the tragic hero in his works about Greek tragedy. As the protagonist of a tragedy, a tragic hero must fulfil three criteria according to Aristotle: first, the audience must feel attached to the tragic hero. Second, the audience must fear what kind of misfortune might happen to the tragic hero, and third, the audience must feel pity for the tragic hero’s suffering.
For Aristotle’s theory to work, the tragic hero must be a complex character like Oedipus. Many critics have argued that Oedipus is the ideal example of a tragic hero. He certainly fulfils all three of Aristotle’s criteria for a tragic hero.
Oedipus is firstly a moral and sympathetic character. Oedipus is a respected character for many reasons. He is noble and brave. He earns respect at Thebes for solving the riddle of the Sphinx and freeing the city. Because of his bravery and wit, the people of Thebes reward him with the position of king of their city. As King of Thebes, he seeks to protect his people and do what is best for them. This is displayed in his determination to stop the plague on Thebes by searching relentlessly for Laius’ murderer.
Oedipus also receives sympathy from the audience because he does not know his true identity. The audience knows that he is, in fact, the murderer of Laius and that he has married his mother, while Oedipus himself remains clueless. In his search for Laius’ killer, the audience fears for Oedipus. We fear the horrible guilt and disgust he will feel once he finds out the terrible truth about what he has done.
When Oedipus finally finds out the truth about his identity, the audience pities poor Oedipus. He gouges out his eyes, resulting in terrible suffering. Instead of killing himself, he chooses to continue living in darkness as an exiled beggar. The audience knows his suffering will continue as long as he lives.
Does Oedipus Have a Fatal Flaw?
Ultimately Oedipus’ character is a fundamentally good, moral and brave person who suffers a terrible fate. However, he is not without his flaws. Aristotle argues that a tragic hero can’t be perfect. Instead, they should have a fatal flaw, or “hamartia,” which results in their tragic downfall.
What is Oedipus’ hamartia or fatal flaw?
Ultimately, he was the cause of his own downfall because he insisted on finding out the true identity of Laius’ murderer. However, his determination to carry out justice for Laius’ murder was done with good intentions of saving the people of Thebes. His determination and commitment to truth are good and admirable qualities and are not likely to be the fatal flaw in his character.
Some consider hubris to be Oedipus’ fatal character flaw. Hubris means to have excessive pride. Oedipus is proud to have saved Thebes from the Sphinx; however, this seems to be a justified pride. Perhaps Oedipus’ ultimate act of hubris was thinking he could avoid his fate. In fact, quite ironically, his attempt to dodge his fate is actually what allowed him to fulfil his fate of killing his father and marrying his mother.
Conclusion
Ultimately Oedipus is an admirable character in his determination, his commitment to truth and justice, and his desire to be a good king to the people of Thebes.
While he is fated to suffer a tragic fate, he exhibits great strength in many ways; he is strong and determined in his search for the truth at any cost, he bravely faces and accepts his guilt, and allows himself to endure terrible suffering for his mistakes.
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