Archetypes In Oedipus

An archetypal character can be defined as a reoccurring character type found throughout different literary periods, disregarding the writer or geography. An example of an archetypal character is the tragic hero. In his book titled Poetics, Aristotle defines the qualities necessary to be deemed a tragic hero. In Sophocles’ Greek play, Oedipus the King, Oedipus represents Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero to perfection. Aristotle’s model of a tragic hero, although best portrayed by Oedipus, can also be applied to modern-day figures. For instance, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, too adheres to the tragic hero model instituted by Aristotle. Both Oedipus and Prince Harry adhere to Aristotle’s model of a tragic hero as they possess hubris that

Aristotle’s ideal tragic hero, Oedipus, fits his model perfectly as he exemplifies the five qualities Aristotle believes a tragic hero must have. First, he possesses hubris, excessive pride that aids in his error of judgement, because of his wit: “You came and by your coming saved our city, freed us from tribute which we paid of old to the Sphinx, cruel singer” (Sophocles 1759). Oedipus’s wit allows him to solve the Sphinx’s riddle and save the city of Thebes from the Sphinx’s wickedness. This leads to Oedipus becoming an extremely prideful man. Oedipus’s pride and fatal flaw of anger lead him to kill King Laius, his biological father: “He that led the way and the old man himself [King Laius] wanted to thrust me out of the road by force. I became angry . . . my stick had struck him backwards from the car and he rolled out of it. And then I killed them all” (Sophocles 1779). Oedipus kills King Laius and those who were journeying with

Prince Harry, similar to the men in his family, served in the military. In Prince Harry’s memoir, Spare, he details his thoughts while in battle, “While in the heat and fog of combat, I didn’t think of those twenty-five people as people. You can’t really kill people if you think of them as people. You can’t really harm people if you think of them as people” (217). Prince Harry’s experiences in the British Royal Army led him to possess hubris, or in other words, an excess of pride. This pride stems from the fortitude and strength he exhibited to properly serve his country. Prince Harry remained a member of the British Royal Army from the years 2005 to 2015. Following his retirement and marriage to Meghan Markle, the couple had a momentous announcement: “In January 2020 Harry and Meghan announced that they would ‘step back’ from their royal duties and become ‘financially independent’” (“Prince Harry, duke of Sussex”). Prince Harry’s disloyal decision to abandon the royal family and the traditional ways of the monarchy is his error of judgement. This disloyalty exhibited by Prince Harry caused chaos amongst the royal family and the mass media. In his memoir, Spare, Prince Harry states, “My problem has never been with the monarchy, nor the concept of monarchy. It’s been with the press and the sick relationship that’s