Oedipus Rex and the Heros Journey - 898 Words

Question: Discuss whether or not a hero who is tragic by trait and definition can exist within the structure of the monomyth. Quote Bank â€Å"untroubled influence† (Fitzgerald, 31) â€Å"can not lift her head from the death surge† (Fitzgerald, 4) â€Å"what defilement?† (Fitzgerald, 7) â€Å"how shall [they] rid [themselves] of it?† (Fitzgerald, 7) â€Å"no help in the truth† (Fitzgerald, 17) â€Å"the net God has been weaving for him† (Fitzgerald, 39) Response By definition, a tragic hero is a character who is unavoidably doomed. That hero’s fate has already been decided but the character usually spends the entire course of a story trying tirelessly and unsuccessfully to change that. Oedipus easily falls into this definition. Oedipus is also a hero that†¦show more content†¦In the Heroic Journey, the hero is someone who is missing or lacking something. For Oedipus, this would be the health in Thebes. Thebes â€Å"can not lift her head from the death surge† of the plague and it is Oedipus’ ultimate goal, as king, to end the plague and keep his citizens safe. (Fitzgerald, 4) This would be the â€Å"grail† in Oedipus’ story, as well as the truth about his past and the murder of king LaÃ'â€"os. The first phase of the Hero’s Journey is â€Å"Separation from the Known† and this begins with â€Å"The Call†. The call invites the hero into the adventure, which in Oedipus’ cas e would be Creon bringing back the prophecy from Delphi. Instantly, Oedipus questions â€Å"what defilement?† and â€Å"how shall [they] rid [themselves] of it?† and that is the point where he willingly accepts his journey. (Fitzgerald, 7) Creon acts as the herald, initiating the call when he brings the news from the gods. The second step in phase one is â€Å"The Threshold†. The accusation of Oedipus as the murderer of king LaÃ'â€"os acts as the threshold because Oedipus enters into his real quest to discover the truth about the murderer. Teirisias acts as the threshold guardian because he knows that Oedipus killed LaÃ'â€"os but because there is â€Å"no help in the truth† he refuses to give Oedipus this information. (Fitzgerald, 17) Phase two of the hero’s journey is â€Å"Initiation and Transformation† and this includes â€Å"The Challenges†, â€Å"TheShow MoreRelatedThe Heros Journey1704 Words   |  7 Pages2014 The Hero’s Journey: Comparing and Contrasting Heroes Joseph Campbell was an American psychologist and mythological researcher. In his lifelong research, Campbell discovered many common patterns running through hero myths and stories from around the world. Years of research lead Campbell to discover several basic stages that almost every hero-quest goes through (no matter what culture the myth is a part of). He calls this common structure â€Å"the monomyth† (Hero’s Journey). The â€Å"hero’s journey†Read MoreThe Heroes Of The Epic Of Beowulf By William Shakespeare1292 Words   |  6 Pagesthey follow a specific formula, namely that the Gods intervene in the lives of the hero and, that the hero is burdened with a tragic flaw. In Virgil’s Aeneid, it is Aeneas’ dangerous disobedience to the ordinances of the Gods that kills him. In Oedipus Rex, it is Oedipus’s inability to control his temper which proves a mortal flaw. Yet, In Beowulf, despite Beowulf’s heroism and his preocc upation with honor, he operates with free will and without the burden of a character flaw. Heroism is attachedRead MoreA Dolls House As A Tragic Hero Analysis967 Words   |  4 Pagesweakness, or tragic flaw in his character, falls into the depths of misery and often to his death† (Ingham 1). Within Oedipus Rex, Sophocles laid the foundation for what is now considered the ideal tragic hero. Within A Doll’s House, Ibsen creates a modern hero in Nora Helmer; a woman who was oppressed for going against social rules for saving her husband. Nora follows the Aristotelian journey of a tragic hero, from hamartia through her tragic fall into catharsis. She is considered a modern day heroineRead More Destiny, Fate, Free Will and Free Choice in Oedipus the King - The Paradox of Free Will1318 Words   |  6 PagesA Paradox: Oedipuss Free will in the Play Oedipus Rex William Shakespeare once wrote, Who can control his fate? (Othello, Act v, Sc.2).  A hero and leader must acknowledge above all else his honor, and the pride of his image.   In ancient Greek beliefs, a hero was a man who stood taller than the rest; he was able to better any conflict.   He did this not for himself or for any token award that may be given to him, but for the security of his fellow man.   Physical strength and superior wit areRead More Tragedy In Drama Essay1713 Words   |  7 Pagesdevelopment of the tragic form over time. The idea of Greek tragedy stems from Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero. In Aristotle’s definition, the tragic hero must be a person of high standing so their fall from glory will be all the more horrible. The hero’s story must evoke pity for the hero and fear of his fall, so the hero cannot be completely evil. Also, the hero must have a tragic flaw, a characteristic that, in excess, causes him to bring some disaster upon himself, and because of this, he cannotRead MoreFate And Free Will : Oedipus Rex1841 Words   |  8 PagesFate and free will have many meanings towards what they mean in Oedipus Rex it’s all based on fate and free will. When your whole life is planned out for you it’s usually fate something you can’t avoid or run away from. Fate is played out in Oedipus Rex although free will happens to be your choice of action which happens to be played out in the play. Oedipus pursed information to seek certain knowledge that he sh ould ve just left alone about his identity. Fate is responsible for Oedipus’s incestRead MoreOdysseus From The Odyssey, And Oedipus2046 Words   |  9 Pagescan be analyze this was are Odysseus from the Odyssey, and Oedipus from Oedipus Rex. The Odysseus is the story of a warrior, Odysseus, who journeys to his native land of Ithaca despite many obstacles and succeeds in driving out suitors who are present in his home/ Oedipus Rex is the story of Oedipus, a man who has accidentally married his mother and killed his father, and learning the truth, becomes blind and is exiled. Odysseus and Oedipus are both intelligent heroes who use their wit to solve theirRead MoreA Greek Heros Exile Essay1606 Words   |  7 PagesThroughout history in Greek Mythology heroes undergo a journey through exile. The tribulations on exiled characters change their mental or physical attributes thus being able to give aid to his or her community. The reasoning behind why the hero goes through the st renuous process of exile varies. Several tales the hero’s ability to deny exile is possible, but they reject the option. They venture towards the option to better further their renown, thus give to the community which they receive the mostRead More Oedipus the King: A Tragic Hero Essay2117 Words   |  9 Pagestragic instances can be avoided, there are other instances where one’s fate and future is out of the protagonist’s control. In Oedipus the King, written by Sophocles and first performed around 249 BC, Oedipus cannot escape his destiny and even though he tries to overcome and circumvent prophecy, he finds out that supernatural forces will get what they want in the end. Oedipus meets the criteria of a tragic hero set forth by Aristotle and his fate within the play demonstrates that one does not alwaysRead MoreThe Origins Of Drama And Theatre2001 Words   |  9 PagesDictionary). This refers to drama being performed live by actors on a stage. Ancient Gree ce is accredited to inventing theatre and drama. In Greece during that time, at the height of popularity, were the stories of the well known flawed heroes and their journeys. Ancient Greece Comedy was a popular type of play in Ancient Greece, only second to Tragedy. These types were described in many details in Poetics, by Aristotle. He expressed that a comedy is â€Å"an imitation of inferior people - not, however, with