Analyse the play Oedipus the King on the basis of hamartia .

Aristotle defines hamartia as a tragic flaw..... the flaw that causes the downfall of the hero. In Oedipus the King, Oedipus' downfall in born is his determination to discover Laius' murderer...... his downfall is caused by that discovery. Thus, we have to consider..... was he wrong to try to solve the mystery? Was he wrong to put the people first?

In addition, Oedipus' actions on the road were made in self-defense. Should he have allowed the men on the road to whip and violate him without defending himself? In considering this, we have to redefine hamartia. Oedipus has a horrific temper, true. Oedipus was responsible for Laius' death, true. But Oedipus didn't act out of maliciousness..... he protected himself, and as a result, hamartia must be seen to include bad choices with life altering consequences.