Oedpius spend all his life running from his prophesied fate. The fate in which he killed his father and slept with his mother. It's tragic that even though he tried everything he could to prevent this atrocious event from happening, he actually caused it.
"You can't run from fate" is what I would have told him back then. You have no idea how things will work themselves out. If you think you're going against your destined fate, you're probably wrong.
The story of Oedipus does follow the basic outline of a "tragic" tale. It's not a tragedy because it's sad (although that certainly is part of it), it's tragic because of the character flaws and trials that he goes through.
The most obvious element (in my opinion) is usually the character flaw. In the case of Odepius, I feel like he has multiple character flaws. This isn't uncommon, because one usually dominates the others. One of his flaws is his determination. But determination is a good thing! How can you SAY that??? I can say it because it's true. If he hadn't been so determined to find out who his real father was, King Laius. Ignorance is bliss. Sure he probably would have still slept with his mother, but he wouldn't have KNOWN. Still gross, yeah, but his sanity would have stayed in tact and he would PROBABLY still have his eyeballs. Ya done goofed, Oedipus.
One of the more "minor" downfalls in Oedipus' character is his apparent hubris, or his excessive pride. This isn't completely unjustified, though. After all, he saved Thebes from the sphinx. The throne should be his. He didn't want to be humiliated, which was at least part of what caused him to run away in the first place. He couldn't face the fact that he was going to screw up in such a bold manner. It's tragic.
"You can't run from fate" is what I would have told him back then. You have no idea how things will work themselves out. If you think you're going against your destined fate, you're probably wrong.
The story of Oedipus does follow the basic outline of a "tragic" tale. It's not a tragedy because it's sad (although that certainly is part of it), it's tragic because of the character flaws and trials that he goes through.
The most obvious element (in my opinion) is usually the character flaw. In the case of Odepius, I feel like he has multiple character flaws. This isn't uncommon, because one usually dominates the others. One of his flaws is his determination. But determination is a good thing! How can you SAY that??? I can say it because it's true. If he hadn't been so determined to find out who his real father was, King Laius. Ignorance is bliss. Sure he probably would have still slept with his mother, but he wouldn't have KNOWN. Still gross, yeah, but his sanity would have stayed in tact and he would PROBABLY still have his eyeballs. Ya done goofed, Oedipus.
One of the more "minor" downfalls in Oedipus' character is his apparent hubris, or his excessive pride. This isn't completely unjustified, though. After all, he saved Thebes from the sphinx. The throne should be his. He didn't want to be humiliated, which was at least part of what caused him to run away in the first place. He couldn't face the fact that he was going to screw up in such a bold manner. It's tragic.