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Peter Smith

A. Schoenborn

A.P. Literature/ 2nd Hour

26 November 2016

To most people, tragedy is simply an exaggerated expression of despair. Tragedy often

brings people to their knees, makes us examine our own actions and question the things that

make us who we are. In another light, tragedy reveals the truth and value in human life, however

saddening it might be. Oedipus Rex and Antigone are two examples that reveal the importance of

human spirit over the outward universe.

Oedipus Rex is a story of the ill-fated Oedipus, who had became a hero and won over the

citizens of Thebes after solving a sphinxs riddles. But by running away from the terrible

prophecy that Oedipus hears, fate leads him closer and closer to the prophecy coming true. Fate

is not entirely to blame, however. Oedipus has a tragic flaw that leads the prophecy of having

children with his mother and killing his father, to come true. Once in a position of power, all

external views and opinions about the state of Thebes were disregarded. Oedipus had so much

pride in his ability to avoid fate that he did not think it would ever be a possibility that he could

kill his real father and have children with his biological mother. For Oedipus, after he finds out

that the prophecy came true, life could not get any worse. It is at this moment that the tragedy

lies; Oedipus blinds himself and orders himself to be taken away to a far away place as

punishment. After this traumatizing event, he seems to have developed his personality further. He

is calmer, and seems to see things better now that he is blind. This is the power of tragedy. For

his whole life, Oedipus was blind to the truth, and due to the dark period he experienced,
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something better came out of it. He was able to learn about himself in honesty and have peace

with himself for the first time. Like Oedipus, people change based on influences and suggestions

of others.

In Antigone, there are many similarities between Creon and Oedipus. Creon is seen as a

very strong and fair-minded leader at first. Like Oedipus, Creons fatal flaw is his stubbornness

and reluctance to see anyone elses view. After Creon declares that Antigone should be executed,

against public opinion, he loses his wife and son to suicide, but the gods keep Creon alive. Thus

it would be interesting to consider Creon as an equally tragic character. At the end of the play,

Creon is left with the possibility to grieve and learn from his mistakes because he was kept alive.

Creon is a broken man after the death of Antigone, his son Haemon, and his wife. Though he has

fallen from power and lost nearly everything, the play leaves open the potential that the surviving

characters will reflect and improve from these tragic events.

In both Antigone and Oedipus Rex, people came together to view tragedies to understand

the effect it had on Antigone, Creon, and Oedipus. Tragedy reflects the inward successes with
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despair and hopelessness in context, and showcases the power we, as people, have to overcome

them.

Rubric
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Works Cited

Sophocles, and R. D. Dawe. Oedipus Rex. Stutgardiae: B.G. Teubner, 1996. Print.

Sophocles, and Richard Emil Braun. Antigone. New York: Oxford UP, 1973. Print.

"Antigone - Who's Tragedy Is It?" Antigone - Who's Tragedy Is It? N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2016.