Aristotle once said that a hero’s downfall must be a result of
some tragic flaw within the character. This flaw was known as
hamartia in the Greek world of Aristotle. Since Aristotle
greatly admired Oedipus the King, many people believe that
Oedipus must have had a prominent and complex hamartia.
Discovering Oedipus’ hamartia within the play is not an easy
task. In fact, it is impossible to point out Oedipus’ hamartia
since I do not believe that he has one. Everything that he says
or does throughout the play is justifiable in one way or
another. There is always some logical explanation behind his
thoughts and actions and, thus, Oedipus does not have a tragic
flaw in his character. There are a number of different points
that one can analyze and claim to be Oedipus’hamartia. For
instance, some people may examine Oedipus’ bad temper and label
this as the flaw that leads to his downfall. Oedipus becomes
enraged at Teiresias’ claim that he is the one who murdered
Laius and he begins to believe that this is an atte