The strong character and the inevitable destiny of Oedipus Rex Oedipus the king, by Sophocles, talks about Oedipus, a man condemned by his destiny. Like most tragedies, Oedipus Rex contains a tragic hero, a heroic figure unable to escape his fate. This tragic hero usually has a hamartia, a tragic flaw, which causes his downfall. The tragic flaw that Sophocles attributes to Oedipus is arrogance (exaggerated pride or self-confidence), which is what led Oedipus to walk towards the fate he was trying to escape. Oedipus' pride pushes him towards his tragic end in the initial journey, when he kills his father, in the sphinx episode, and in his unshakable search for the truth. Pride like Oedipus' has been the downfall of many great leaders. Oedipus is blinded by his arrogance and does not accept the fact that he cannot avoid his fate. His pride first hits him when he is told what his destiny has in store for him. Oedipus explains to Jocasta that he was told that "he was destined to lie with [his] mother and show to the light of day an accursed race, which men would not endure, and [he] was doomed to be the murderer of his father who [had begotten him". ]. Upon hearing this [he fled]” (Sophocles 45, 1.792-4). Ironically, the pride that drove him to try to avoid his fate set him on the right path. During his journey away from Corinth, he unknowingly met his father, King Laius. When Oedipus tells Jocasta about his encounter, he says that he met a carriage at a crossroads and argued over the right of way. He also mentions a man (King Laius) who hit him and said that: "He [King Laius] was paid in full and... my stick hit him backwards from the car and he rolled out. And then I killed them all " (45, 1.801-13)....... half of the sheet ......ppen. Oedipus' fate could have been avoided if Oedipus had not been the kind of person he was. Oedipus was a tragic hero. Sophocles, instead of killing Oedipus at the end of the novel, chose to give Oedipus a fate worse than death. Oedipus found out who he was and that he killed his father and slept with his mother. His tragic end was the result of his hamartia, arrogance. His pride was what led him to attack the carriage and kill his father, which led him to marry his mother. He could have ignored the simple question of right of way, but the person he was in couldn't. His self-confidence and pride turned into arrogance and led him to curse himself. Ironically, the characteristics that Oedipus had that led him to become a rich and powerful king ultimately led to his tragic end. Perhaps if Oedipus had been a different person inside, he might have escaped his fate.