There is an old saying that says pride goes before a fall, which means that when someone thinks and behaves in an overconfident manner, sooner or later something will happen, usually brought upon themselves in some way, to humiliate them. The more grand the stature of the person in question, such as a hero, the greater the fall into disgrace and the more significant the suffering. This is one element of tragedy. Yet, it is not enough to suffer, the hero must also learn from his disgrace and be able to truly understand what caused his fall. This is the basic theme at the heart of Oedipus Rex by Sophocles. This paper will outline why the downfall of Oedipus is so tragic, whether or not he was accountable for his own downfall, and what Sophocles was trying to say to the people of Athens.
As stated before, in order for a downfall of a hero to be tragic, that hero must be a very great person. In the play, Sophocles gives Oedipus all the attributes of a great hero. Oedipus is king of Thebes, yet he did not become king merely through birth, but through his wisdom and strength (lines 38-45). So he receives twice as much admiration and respect as he would normally (lines 38-39). Oedipus also appears to want the best for his people and to rule fairly: ôyour need. . .well wot I, yet my pain, How great soever yours, outtops it allö (lines 65-67). Additionally, OedipusÆ first long speech in the play judges LaiusÆ murderer as a ôWretch, may he pine in utter wretchedness!ö (line 249) even as Oedipus sets himself up as champion for the dead Laius and the gods (lines 245-6). As a result, Oedipus has been set so far above the normal person, that when it is discovered that he not only killed Laius, but has also married his own biological mother, it can be seen that his downfall is truly tragic. He has fallen from being almost as great as a god, to an exiled, debilitated man who has defiled himself and been spurned by the gods.
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