A tragic hero is essentially a character in a story that evokes emotion from the reader; specifically pity and fear. Also commonly found, tragic heroes are characters in high places that fall from grace due to a personal flaw; and, regardless of consequences, the character takes responsibility for their actions, thus solving the conflict through self-sacrifice. By these standards, the title character of Sophocles’ “Oedipus the King” is the epitome of the archetypal tragic hero. …showed first 75 words of 422 total…

…showed last 75 words of 422 total…keeping to his initial promise. This is Oedipus taking responsibility for his mistake through self sacrifice. This fall from power is due to a mistake caused by his one personal flaw: his pride. These are other characteristic featured in Oedipus that make him a model of a tragic hero. In conclusion, Oedipus Rex, through his role in “Oedipus the King,” fulfills all characteristics that would make him the epitome of archetypal tragic heroes in literature.