Oedipus Rex “ A man who is highly renowned and prosperous, but one who is not pre-eminently virtuous and just, whose misfortune, however, is brought upon him not by vice and/or depravity, but by some error of judgment or frailty.” - Aristotle In Sophocles’ Oedipus The King, Oedipus, the main character who kills his father and marries his mother, undoubtedly qualifies as a tragic hero. According to Aristotle’s definition, a tragic hero must be “…showed first 75 words of 361 total…

…showed last 75 words of 361 total…people end in horror, as he finally discovers that the murderer is no one but himself. By this total error of judgment and blindness Oedipus makes himself a tragic hero. To the chorus, Oedipus explains his blinding as his mournful inability ever to look upon his loved ones again, but the violence also represents his attack on that part of him that cannot stop seeking out and finding what is hidden, despite the fateful consequences.