Oedipus Rex: An Analysis of Pride, Fate, and Dramatic Irony

This essay analyzes the themes of pride, fate, and dramatic irony in Sophocles' Oedipus Rex. It examines how Oedipus' excessive pride and ignorance of his actions, rather than solely divine intervention, contribute to his tragic downfall. The essay references Aristotle's concept of tragedy and the importance of plot and action over character, highlighting how Oedipus' unknowingly breaking divine kinship laws leads to his suffering. The author argues that the play's tragedy stems from Oedipus' self-inflicted consequences, emphasizing the role of human actions within a pre-determined framework. The analysis uses the provided references to support its arguments and offers a comprehensive understanding of the play's central themes. The essay underscores the significance of dramatic irony in shaping Oedipus' fate, as he unknowingly fulfills the prophecy. The analysis also touches upon the societal context of ancient Greece, where the divine laws and the concept of fate played a significant role in shaping human lives.

Running head: ENGLISH LITERATURE
ENGLISH LITERATURE
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author note

1ENGLISH LITERATURE
Comment on Oedipus’ excessive pride. Does his hubris bring about his downfall? Is his fate
simply inescapable because foreordained by the Gods?
In Poetics, Aristotle defines tragedy as “an imitation of an action that is serious,
complete, and of a certain magnitude”, an “imitation not of men, but of an action and of life”
(Zerba 2014). He further states that, “Character determines men’s qualities but it is by their
actions that they are happy or the reverse. Dramatic action, therefore, is not with a view to the
representation of character: character comes in as subsidiary to the actions”. For Aristotle,
character is only secondary to a tragedy, the foremost being plot/action. The narrative of Ancient
Greek society revolved around the idea of the primacy of divine power and the life of men and
their actions pre-determined by Fate and the Gods (Zerba 2014). Moreover, the divine laws
governing kinship relations were also held in the highest regard- anyone who broke them was
punished. It is this reflection of society that Sophocles brings with Oedipus- the quality of
helplessness of human life in the face of Fate. Therefore, while Oedipus is shown as possessing
excessive pride, placing himself above everyone else, refusing to accept the seer Tiresias’
warnings and unknowingly fulfilling the prophecy in his arrogance, his downfall occurs due to
the consequences of his actions (Steiner 1996). The key word in this situation is “unknowingly”,
for the tragedy of Oedipus is brought about by the dramatic irony of the play, in Oedipus’
ignorant action of breaking the divine kinship law by marrying his mother. In conclusion, the
main question to be addressed here is whether or not the character fate is pre-destined, not
because of godly interventions but because of Oedipus’ own ignorance.

2ENGLISH LITERATURE
References
Steiner, J., 1996. Revenge and resentment in the Oedipus situation. International journal of
psycho-analysis, 77, pp.433-443.
Zerba, M., 2014. Tragedy and theory: The problem of conflict since Aristotle (Vol. 900). NJ,
Princeton University Press.