ruin him. Oedipus’ pride derives from his own heroic qualities and, ironically, ruins him.A hero prizes above all else his honor and the excellence of his life. When his honor is at stake, all other considerations become irrelevant. A hero values strength and skill, courage and determination, for these attributes enable the person who possesses them to achieve glory and honor, both in his lifetime and after he dies. Oedipus was certainly a hero who was exceptionally intelligent though one can argue that killing four men single-handedly, on his way to Delphi, more than qualified him as a physical force of reckoning.He obviously knew his heroic status when he greeted the citizens of Thebes before the palace doors saying, "I thought it wrong, my children, to hear the truth / from others, messengers. Here I am myself- / you all know me, the world knows of my fame: / I am Oedipus.” (ll. 6-9) In this such passage, Oedipus proves that he is guilty of hubris, being too sure of himself, too confident in his own powers, and a little under mindful of the gods.If we examine his quest for identity, it becomes quite apparent that the sequence of events are quite coincidental. First, he summons Tiresias to name the killer, whom Oedipus does not at the time believe to be himself. Second, the tragic hero emerges as anything but a social person. He may begin motivated by a genuine desire to help the people, but what emerges throughout is different. “But not to assist some distant kinsman, no, / for my own sake I’ll rid us of this corruption. / Whoever killed the king may decide to kill me too, / with the same violent hand – by avenging Laius / I defend myself.” (ll. 156 – 160). Here, it becomes plain to see that Oedipus is actually far more concerned with his own sense of self and demands for justice on his terms, than in compromising his desires like any other true leader would.Oedipus, a hero of supe...
