The Fall of a Tragic Hero In the play Oedipus the King by Sophocles, Oedipus is a classic tragic hero. There are a number of characteristics that identify a tragic hero. Although a tragic hero causes his own downfall, his fate is usually not deserved, and his punishment is much worse than his crime. A tragic hero is usually someone of importance or power who has a tragic flaw that affects his judgement, and must …showed first 75 words of 1063 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1063 total…And so, the tragic hero Oedipus learns a lesson from his errors in judgment and becomes an example to the audience of what happens when great men fall from their lofty positions. Oedipus loses his sight, but gains the truth and learns humility. He was once great, but because of his hubris he came to fall, and his punishment was to live the rest of his life with the knowledge of what he had done.