Oedipus the King and Things Fall Apart - Tragedies as...

Oedipus and Things Fall Aparttragedies as defined by Aristotle Almost 2500 years ago Aristotle defined a tragic plot as one containing six essential elements. The first is a hero (sympatheia) who is noble by birth or has risen to a place of power. The hero should also be of good character. Aristotle stated in The Poetics, â€Å"This is the sort of man who is not pre-eminently virtuous and just, and yet it is through no badness or villainy of his own that he falls into the fortune, but rather through some flaw in him, he being one of those who are in high station and good fortune.† The second is the flaw (Hamartia) in the hero’s character. The hero falls into misfortune not because of wickedness on his own part, but because he makes a†¦show more content†¦The first requirement that Aristotle set forth was the protagonist should be in a position of power and should also have a good character. In Oedipus, the title character is born the prince of Thebes. He is born into royalty, but is abandoned because his father was afraid that the prophecy of his son killing his father and marrying his mother would come true. The King of Corinth then adopts him. Oedipus flees Corinth because he is afraid of fulfilling the prophecy. Oedipus’ character is established by the fact that as soon as he heard the prophecy he left Corinth without going home. He did not want the prophecy to come true. Oedipus ends up in Thebes where he becomes king not because of the bloodline but because he could defeat the Sphinx that plagued the city. When the play opens there is another plague on Thebes. To remove the plague, Apollo commands them to drive out the pollution from the land (107-108). Oedipus then makes a speech to Thebes for everyone to help rid the city of the pollution. Oedipus tells the city that there is a reward for anyone who provides information about the murder of Laius. To those who would withhold information he places this curse, that â€Å"the murder would live out his life in misery to miserable doom! If w ith my knowledge he lives at my hearth I pray that I myself may feel my curse†(268-271). Oedipus has a very strong character and only wants to do what is best for Thebes. In Achebe’s Things FallShow MoreRelatedTragic Hero1598 Words   |  7 Pageswhich eventually leads to his demise. The concept of the tragic hero was created in ancient Greek tragedy and defined by Aristotle. Usually, the realization of fatal flaw results in catharsis or epiphany. The tragic flaw is sometimes referred to as an Achilles heel after the single fatal flaw of the Greek warrior Achilles. [citation needed] Aristotelian tragic hero In a complex Aristotelian tragedy, the hero is of noble birth and is more admirable than ordinary men. 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