Fate and the Hero in Oedipus Rex

In the play Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, Oedipus is a classic tragic hero. Oedipus is a tragic hero for the reason that he is a king whose life falls apart when he finds out his life story. The question asked in relation to Oedipus is whether he was a victim of fate or of his own actions, it perhaps is seen that it was his destiny to undergo the torment and affliction. Oedipus was conscious …

…on him with envy, Yet in the end ruin swept over him. Let every man in mankind's frailty Consider his last day; and let none Presume on his good fortune until he find Life, at his death, a memory without pain. (836) Bibliography Sophocles. "Oedipus Rex." An Introduction to Literature, 11th Ed. Eds. Sylvan Barnet, et al. New York: Longman, 1997. Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama, 8th Ed. by X. J. Kennedy, Dana Gioia