The Ties Between Hubris and Tragic Flaw

        Hubris, along with the idea of ignorance, are themes often presented in a multitude of

mythological works, such as ‘Oedipus Rex’. The excessive pride and overwhelming amount of

confidence that characters inherit may ultimately lead to their downfall. Oedipus, in particular, heavily

possessed the common, stereotypical tragic flaw of ignorance. Ignorance is defined by the idea that

one may be uneducated or unaware of information that they are expected to know. Oedipus carried a

large amount of ignorance, which was only emphasized by his overloading sense of pride to save the

village of Thebes. Therefore, the idea of hubris and its ties to the well-known tragic flaw of ignorance

is what carries Oedipus into his downfall and defeat as an individual, thus being defined as a tragic

character.

    ‘Oedipus Rex’, the play itself, displays how a character’s tragic flaw can ultimately be the downfall of their persona. At the beginning, Oedipus is shown to be a character of great qualities. In favor of his hometown of Thebes, he is willing to do anything in order to save it and its people. Oftentimes, these tragic characters are truly great and genuine. Although their tragic flaw, which in this case is Oedipus’ excessive pride (hubris) and ignorance, tends to overshadow the good qualities that they store, which thereby leads them into being the tragic character that they are. Oedipus holds an immense amount of passion and love towards the people in Thebes leading him into the mindset that he will do anything it takes in order to fulfill and achieve what is best for the village and its people. Oedipus’ sense of profuse pride is glimpsed upon when he emphasizes his identity in which he believes it holds an immense amount of power. When talking to the people of Thebes, he says “I, Oedipus, who bear the famous name” (Sophocles). Oedipus holds great pride in being a leader of Thebes. His hubris makes him believe that nobody can question his power, leadership, and potential wrong decisions. Then again, when Creon questions him, “but suppose that you are wrong” (Sophocles), Oedipus replies, “still I must rule” (Sophocles). This overwhelming sense of pride ultimately led him to kill not only King Laius of Thebes, but Jocasta. Unaware at the time, both of the individuals he murdered happened to be his biological parents, which thereby reveals his ignorance otherwise known as his tragic flaw. This being said, ‘Oedipus Rex’, the play, reveals that one’s tragic flaw, in this case being hubris and ignorance, can lead to a character's downfall. 

As I mentioned, Oedipus’ excessive amount of pride led him to believe that the people of Thebes had no right in questioning his wrongdoings and acts. This idea, oddly enough, reminded me of a totalitarian system of government - a system of government that takes total, centralized control over every aspect of life in the sense that the leader is always right. The society of Thebes very little compared to a totalitarian society, but the idea that the people must obey the ruler relates to what Oedipus wants for himself - people to believe in him. They are very much opposites, but it’s easy to say that Oedipus thrived for the same respect achieved by  Big Brother in Orwell’s classic, well-known novel ‘1984’. He is very respected by his people, and everything he does is righteous and never wrong. The people of Oceania live by the idea that he is more than someone you should obey, and that “you must love him” (Orwell) too. This philosophy that “all knowledge, all wisdom, all happiness, and all virtue” (Orwell) derives from the leadership of Big Brother is essentially something Oedipus wanted so bad, but couldn’t achieve. Shown through his eccentric hubris, Oedipus was very confident in himself that he was a very powerful, skilled leader due to the fact he was the individual who attempted to save his hometown of Thebes. Although because he failed to pursue what he intended, his ignorance is revealed to the audience as his actions reflect a very selfish manner. His overloading sense of pride ultimately led to murder of his biological parents which essentially shows the audience that he would do anything to keep his title. Thus, the ignorance revealed through his hubris actions alludes to the fact that Oedipus can be defined as a tragic character. 

Tragic flaws hold the power to fully succumb, and overtake a character. Hubris and ignorance, oddly enough, coordinate to reveal that Oedipus is in fact a tragic character. He strives to not only do the best, but be the best for himself and others. Unfortunately, his eccentric sense of pride and ignorance got in the way of his intentions, ultimately leading to his downfall.