Oedipus the King Does Oedipus Satisfy the Definition of...

Does Oedipus Satisfy the Definition of a Good Man? As a young man, Oedipus learned of his fate to kill his father and marry his mother. Oedipus flees to a distant land to escape his terrible fate and inadvertently fulfills the prophecy. Unknowingly, Oedipus kills his father and enters the bed of his mother. Was Oedipus was a good man who happened to suffer an unfortunate fate, or was he a truly bad person, whose fate was only just? If we accept the Aristotelian views of good and bad, as expressed in The Good, Oedipus was indeed a good man by saving the city, ruling justly and searching for the truth although his anger could be seen as a flaw. In his first dealings with the city of Thebes, Oedipus found them under†¦show more content†¦Oedipus first demonstrated his ability to be a good leader in his helping the city escape the Sphinx. He continued his leadership in the same manner, doing good things for the city and winning esteem in the eyes of the citizens. The premise for the book is that he was trying to rid the city of a second plague. He showed no hesitation to give it his best effort, saying Indeed Im willing to give all that you may need; I would be very hard should I not pity suppliants like these (Sophocles page #). Displaying this willingness to help his citizens and earning such lofty acclaim as being called great or greatest, Oedipus could not have been a poor ruler or a tyrant. If Oedipus had ruled his subjects poorly then they would not have addressed him as great, so he should be viewed as a good leader, one who cared for his charges, one who ruled justly. In this light, Aristotle would have j udged Oedipus to be a good man, or more precisely, a good ruler because Oedipus labor was for the benefit of others, one of Aristotles characteristics of a good ruler. Similarly, in Oedipus quest for the truth, he established his goodness under another category of Aristotelian virtue. When warned by Teiresias of the painful news the prophet bears, Oedipus insisted on hearing what he has to say. When Jocasta pleaded with him to stop his interrogation of the messenger, Oedipus replied I will not be persuaded to let be the chance of finding out the wholeShow MoreRelatedThe Tragic Hero Of Oedipus The King987 Words   |  4 PagesWhile exemplifying the high estate, noble character, and flawed nature of Aristotle’s tragic hero, Oedipus fails to have a personal mistake become his undoing, hence denying him the status of Aristotle’s tragic hero. A key criteria of Aristotle’s tragic hero is that he or she comes from high estate, such as a royal family. Aristotle’s definition of the tragic hero is well thought out in this manner. High status is important as it gives the character a long way to fall (Kennedy Gioia, 2013). ThisRead MoreOedipus The King, Or Oedipus Rex1249 Words   |  5 Pagesprobably being Sophocles’ Oedipus the King, or Oedipus Rex. 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