When referring to Oedipus as a hero in the play Oedipus Rex, one can be referring to one of two things. First, the hero of a story is recognized to be the central character of a story, especially the protagonist. However, while the protagonist is merely the main character that the story is about, the hero is recognized for some heroic deed. The hero is recognized as a noble figure who does his/her best to rescue or redeem other characters. Second, since Oedipus Rex is a tragedy, it also contains a tragic hero. According to Aristotle's definition, a tragic hero is a noble figure with some character flaw that propels the character to a tragic fall or end. Below are passages that reflect Oedipus as both a hero and a tragic hero.

Oedipus especially exhibits his heroic nature in the beginning the story when he is so determined to help the Thebans out of their troubled state. A horrible...

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