“What makes Superman a hero is not that he has power, but that he has the wisdom and maturity to use the power wisely” (Christopher Reeve). Superman is known to be a hero because he has certain attributes that help the audience recognize him as one. He is brave, courageous, and noble but has a weakness. The characteristics that distinguish Superman as a hero are the same traits that describe a tragic hero. Tragic heroes are found in Ancient Greek tragedy plays written by playwrights like Sophocles. In Oedipus the King, Sophocles utilizes a variety of literary devices such as diction, flashbacks, and symbolism to construct the ideal tragic hero.
Diction is a key factor in Sophocles’ writing that assists illuminating the main character’s traits
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For example, the blindness of a sagacious prophet had been one of the representations Sophocles used to explain Oedipus’ lack of insight and unwillingness to see his fate. “Since you have taunted me with being blind, here is my word for you. You have your eyes but see not where you are in sin, nor where you live, nor whom you live with” (Sophocles 480-483). Oedipus’s ability to see had not influenced the amount of his wisdom. The blind prophet had been able to see Oedipus’s life for what it was, while Oedipus refused to see the truth. His ignorance to accept his fate had been another tragic flaw that assisted his undoing. Sophocles also used the symbolism of blindness to represent other attributes of Oedipus. “He tore the brooches…dashed them on his own eyeballs, shrieking out such things as: they will never see the crime I have committed or had done upon me” (Sophocles 1455-1460). Oedipus’s conclusion to blind himself portrayed his despair and suffering. His anguish created a chance for the audience to experience catharsis for Oedipus. Overall, the symbol of blindness was utilized to express a tragic flaw, fate, and catharsis Oedipus received as a tragic