Final answer:
In Sophocles' 'Oedipus Rex,' Oedipus exemplifies the tragic hero with arrogance as his tragic flaw. Initially, a respected ruler, his journey through peripeteia and anagnorisis reveals his tragic destiny, leading to a cathartic end. The audience's perception of him evolves from admiration to pity as they witness his downfall and the fulfillment of prophecy.
Step-by-step explanation:
Analyzing Oedipus as a Tragic Hero
In Sophocles' Oedipus Rex, the character of Oedipus is the quintessential tragic hero. Oedipus' tragic flaw is his arrogance—a belief in his superior intelligence and a confidence that he can outsmart the gods. This hubris leads to his downfall, fulfilling the prophecy that he would kill his father and marry his mother. As the play progresses, our impression of Oedipus transforms from seeing him as a confident and determined ruler to a tragic figure overwhelmed by his fate. Despite the shift, one could argue that Oedipus remains sympathetic to the audience because his actions were driven by noble intentions, such as his pursuit of justice and his refusal to shirk responsibility for his actions, even when they lead to appalling revelations. Oedipus' journey ends with self-inflicted punishment, serving as both a moral and educational example of the inevitability of fate and the consequences of human pride.
At the beginning of the play, he is seen as a savior figure who aims to rid Thebes of a devastating plague. However, by the end, through the plot's peripeteia (reversal of fortune) and anagnorisis (recognition), Oedipus is a blind and exiled man, having come full circle with the prophecy he so desperately tried to avoid. The audience experiences catharsis through his downfall, as he embodies the human struggle between destiny and free will. The play ends with Oedipus choosing to punish himself rather than resort to justifications, thereby maintaining his ethical stance despite his tragic circumstances. This strong sense of justice and ethics, along with his fall from grace, confirms his position as a Greek hero, admired by the common audience member.