Where is hubris in oedipus

Rumours from a drunk and the prophecy Apollo confess to him and force Oedipus to run away. Oedipus hubris makes him feel superior. He thinks he can outrun his fate with his arrogance as he commits a murder and marries a spouse which are two conditions for the prophecy to be fulfilled. During his reign, the land of Thebes was suffering from a plague and the Oracle of Apollo stated that the murderer of Laius was the cause of it.

Oedipus is determined to find the murderer by all means; his hubris does not permit him to see the truth as his pride and position blinds him completely. He eventually premeditates how his fall will look like as he curses the murderer.

Furthermore, on his quest for the truth, Oedipus portrays hubris when he considers Tiresias as a stupid blind man as he dismisses the words of this prophet with arrogance.

Also, Oedipus pours out his rage on Creon and claimed that Creon paid Tiresias to tell lies so that he could become the King of Thebes when Oedipus falls.

He already sees the atrocities and the events that occur around him and prefers to put the blame on someone else. Sadly, for Oedipus his hubris makes him hear only what he wants to hear which blinds him from the truth.

Hamartia and hubris are two powerful elements that mold Oedipus and create the subsequent course of the story. These two works together because Oedipus is a child of prophecy and certain conditions must take place as the prophecy is an order from the gods and punishment to his father Laius and his descendants. Also, these elements brought about nemesis to Oedipus as divine retribution could not be avoided.

According to Aristotle, a tragic hero is supposed to have both hamartia and hubris as the intent of these two, is to evoke pity for the tragic hero due to his weaknesses. The reason behind this is for the audience to identify with the tragic hero and learn a lesson from the story. To some extent, fate can be avoided in the short run but not in the long run as our decisions are already connected to our destinies. When Oedipus flees Corinth because of the prophecy we see how hamartia and hubris play their roles for the prophecy to come true until Oedipus finally knows the truth.

Hamartia and hubris are two flawed values found in a tragic hero just as Oedipus in Oedipus Rex as it lays a foundation for the fall of the hero.

The importance of hamartia and hubris is very pertinent as they help the audience to identify themselves with the tragic hero thus arouse twin feelings of pity and fear in the audience.

They equally affect the course of the play as Oedipus attachment to hubris and hamartia justify his reasoning, emotions and decisions. All this became known to him and he learned a valuable lesson from his mistake. Hamartia and hubris contributed to the fall of Oedipus in many as stated above and it shows us how heroes of good qualities and positions in the society fall due to flaws in their characters, which leads to their own doom.

It does not reflect the quality of papers completed by our expert essay writers. She and Louis when received the awful oracle sent their child away to die. They thought they can outwit gods but they were wrong. Jocasta tells Oedipus about this prophecy with great pride, unknowingly that it did came true. Both, Oedipus and Jocasta suffer greatly due to their hubris. At the end of the play, Jocasta commits suicide to escape the shame and guilt caused by her excessive pride.

While, Oedipus on realizing his mistakes, blinds himself. Hubris is a destructive vice indeed and men who possess hubristic character are prone to destruction. Hubris serves great role in Oedipus Rex as it dictates the course of story, and makes the play fit the standards that Aristotle has set for a great tragedy. Open navigation menu. Close suggestions Search Search.

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