Oedipus Rex

        Although a good tragedy consists of the main character falling to his demise by his own hand, Sophocles is cruel in the way that he portrays Oedipus’ life. When first reading the play, Oedipus is hailed as the hero for solving the Sphinx’s riddle and he is crowned the new king of Thebes. Oedipus seems to have the perfect life complete with a doting wife, who we later find out to be his mother, and a city that respects him. This bravery and heroism of Oedipus is soon overshadowed by his need to solve the new riddle of Laius’ death. Oedipus becomes paranoid and pushes for more information that eventually leads to him realizing that he in fact killed Laius and that Jocasta, his wife, is also his mother. Sophocles allows Oedipus to fall into a depression that not only leads to the suicide of Jocasta but the exiling of his two daughters because of their affiliation with him. I believe that only a hero of the tragedy should be lead to their downfall and not the rest of their family. It is then no longer about the hero’s realizations ruining not only their own life but also their families.

        At the end of the play, the reader sees that Oedipus is humbled and has gone through a lot of pain while he apologizes to his family members. After Oedipus blinds himself for not being able to see the truth, I felt even more compassion for this character and I wondered how Sophocles could be so cruel to this character. But, I realize that every great tragedy has a hero that falls by his own hand and a surprise that will shock all readers by the end. These are most likely the reasons why Oedipus Rex was Sophocles’ most famous tragedy.