Oedipus who is proud, hot-tempered, forceful, ready to find the truth and shows genuine concern for his people, promises to find the murderer of Laius, whom he eventually curses. Given Oedipus’ high position in the Kingdom of Thebes, his character is flawed but perfect for his position. Creon reports from the Oracle of Apollo that the plague was caused as a result of the murder of Laius. Oedipus is king of Thebes and his nation is suffering from a plague. The circumstances that Oedipus the king finds himself in, lead him to commit hamartia. For hamartia to occur at least two conditions that have to take place in the play, which the audience will gradually observe in the course of the play and witness his downfall. In Oedipus Rex, Oedipus is a victim of hamartia. So in the “Oedipus Hubris Examples In The Play Oedipus Rex By Sophocles” paper we will research the role of hamartia and hubris of characters in this play. Equally, this flaw can come as a result of trying to manipulate or do an action that may lead to a change in reality.

This flaw is very common in characters who are of noble birth or high position in society and overestimates his capabilities and loses his/her touch of reality. Hubris is extreme pride, arrogance and the disrespect for the natural order of things demonstrated by a character or characters in a story.

It equally shows a point in the story where the hero makes a decision or critical mistake that seals his fate.

Hamartia is a personal error in a protagonist’s personality that brings about his downfall in a tragedy. This son goes by the name Oedipus who is the tragic hero of the play and this essay will set out to analyze how the influence of hamartia and hubris lead to the doom of this character in the play Oedipus Rex. The foundation of this play is based on a prophecy which said that the son of the king will murder him and marry his mother. Oedipus Rex is a Greek tragedy that was written by Sophocles before the birth of Christ.

Oedipus rex by sophocles