The falling of tragic hero is caused by himself/ herself. Oedipus killed his father and married to his mother. He may not realize he did that, but his sin is done by himself. “We heard her call upon Laios, dead so many years, And heard her wail for the double fruit of her marriage, A husband by her husband, children by her child.”(pg
68) Her mother’s death is indirectly caused by him. Of course, people feel sorry for the tragic hero, because the misfortunate is not wholly deserved. Oedipus kills his father and become the King of Thebes; therefore, he should get punished. But he does not mean to be like that, he tries to escape his fate. “I would marry my own mother and father children on her conceived incestuously…” (pg 69) He tries so hard to not being the Oedipus he have been told, unfortunately, he fail. He blinds himself for whatever he have done; although, his fate controls his action. “Pateient, to care for the blind?” (pg 71) He can not see the world, but Oedipus thinks that he deserves it.
The fall of the tragic hero is not pure loss. For Oedipus, he learned that no matter how hard he tries, he can not escape his fate. “Your fate is clear, you are not blind to that.” (pg 72) After being blinded, he realizes he is the special one. God may hate him but he can not die from sickness. “sickness will never come to me” (pg 73) Oedipus caused all the trouble in Thebes, in the end of the play, he leaves the city. “Lead me away from Thebes.”(pg 72) Leave the city is not just the end of the story; it is the beginning of other journey. Oedipus will find more difficultly in the new journey and also self-discovering.
Oedipus in the play Oedipus Rex is truly a tragic hero according to Aristotle’s five steps of tragic hero. Even though he did the wrong things and did not die in the end of the play, he is still being a tragic hero because of the responsibly he that has take. No one is perfect, being careful does not means mistake free. Oedipus is a great example of a tragic hero that fall from his mistake.
Sophocles. The Oedipus Cycle. Trans. by Fitts & Fitzgerald
Harcourt Brace & Company Orlando, FL. 1967.