Hubris In Oedipus The King

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"A man doesn't become a hero until he can see the root of his own downfall”, Aristotle once said, describing the concept of Hubris. He defines the term as excessive pride within a character, which is especially prominent in countless plays from the era of the Ancient Greeks. In Sophocles’ renowned Oedipus Rex, Oedipus fits Aristotle’s definition of a “Tragic Hero” in that his fatal flaw and evident Hubris ultimately lead to his demise. Due to the protagonist’s efforts to change his own fate and his belief that he is greater than the gods, the tragedy of Oedipus is almost entirely the result of pride.

Oedipus perfectly fits Aristotle’s definition of a Tragic Hero through his characteristics of being of a noble status, having excessive pride, …show more content…
By vowing to never return to Corinth, Oedipus mistakenly believed that he could avoid The Oracle of Delphi’s prophecy that he would murder his father and marry his mother, since he had grown up assuming that his parents were actually Polybus and Merope. “Wherefore from Corinth I have kept away/ Far, for long years; and prospered; none the less/ It is most sweet to see one’s parents’ face (36).” Dramatic irony soon becomes clear as his leaving Corinth is actually what causes him to marry Jocasta and kill Laius. By murdering his father, Oedipus once again exhibits his undeniable Hubris. Although he claims that the action was one of self-defense, in reality the traveler was harmless and the protagonist likely did the deed for his own internal power. Sophocles repeatedly demonstrates the protagonist’s pride through his multiple efforts to avoid his fate and the use of dramatic irony.

The tragedy of Oedipus Rex repeatedly exhibits the role of excessive pride in royalty and how it eventually leads to Oedipus’ downfall, through both his ignorance towards the gods and his belief that he can change his own fate. By running from his prophecy, Oedipus ironically ends up fulfilling the fate that he is trying to avoid. The tragedy of Oedipus Rex is to a great extent the result of pride, as due to the protagonist’s various actions in which he exhibits an evident Hubris,
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