Final answer:
Oedipus is admired for his intelligence and courage, especially in overcoming the Sphinx's riddle, but his tragic flaw of arrogance leads to his downfall. He earns respect by accepting responsibility for his actions and facing his fate with honor, illustrating a classic Greek heroic journey with a timeless message.
Step-by-step explanation:
What is admired by "All of us" about Oedipus that helped him prevail against the Sphinx is his intelligence and courage. In the classical Greek story depicted in Sophocles' play Oedipus the King, Oedipus encounters the Sphinx, a mythical creature who poses riddles to travelers and devours those who cannot answer correctly. The fact that Oedipus was able to solve the Sphinx's riddle demonstrates his wit and comes to symbolize his ability to overcome great challenges. However, Oedipus' story is also a cautionary tale about hubris and the consequences of human actions, as depicted in Greek tragedies.
Oedipus' journey is marked by a tragic flaw, which in his case is arrogance, believing himself to be smarter than anyone else, including the gods. This trait eventually leads to his downfall. Nevertheless, the fact that his actions are based on good intentions allows the audience to feel empathy towards him, even as they witness his tragic ending. By accepting responsibility for his actions and owning up to his mistakes, Oedipus becomes a complex hero who, despite his flaws, is respected for facing his fate with honor and dignity.
In the end, Aristotle points out that true recognition, like that in Oedipus, arises from the incidents themselves, without the need for contrived tokens. This concept emphasizes that true discoveries and realizations should flow naturally from the plot, making Oedipus' story a timeless educational material for the audience and fulfilling the criteria of a good Greek tragedy.