Oedipus was a great man in the community of Thebes. He was king, he was married, and he was a very intelligent man. Even with all of these great features Oedipus still fit the role of the tragic hero. To the town he is a hero because he solved the sphinx's riddle and ruled the town very well. To us Oedipus is a tragic hero because of all the things that happen to him, yet he takes his punishment. He asks questions no matter what the answer might be and he lives on in suffering rather than just killing himself.

When Oedipus comes to Thebes he solves the sphinx's riddle that no one else could, what walks on four legs in the morning, two legs in the afternoon, and three legs in the evening. Because Oedipus solved the riddle with no challenge he was made king of Thebes...