The play “Oedipus the King” by Sophocles will show the tragic fate of Oedipus; the king of Thebes. At first the play slowly begins to unfold until Oedipus realizes a mistake and a downward spiral begins. The play will explain how “tragic power lies in human failure” (Walton). Although Oedipus did not intentionally kill his father and marry his mother. The author's view of a tragic hero, as seen in the play "Oedipus the King", will illustrate Aristotle's definition of a tragic hero. Because Oedipus is of high rank as king of Thebes, with one fallible flaw resulting in a high or low fall. The beginning of Oedipus the King finds the city of Thebes subject to a terrible plague and many difficulties. The people and the priest gathered to pray for relief from the plague. Oedipus consoles the assembly by speaking to a priest, spokesperson for the people. The priest depicts Thebes as “a murderous sea… / rust consumes the buds and fruits of the earth… / the flocks are sick; children die before they are born…” (Oedipus, Prologue, 25, 30). The priest begs Oedipus to use wisdom and intelligence, which have already saved Thebes from the riddle of the Sphinx. Oedipus explains the action initiated by sending Creon the “Son of Menoikeus, brother of the queen, to Delphi” (Oedipus, Prologue, 70) to seek the revelation of the Oracle of Apollo. These immediate actions indicate a noble character that earned Oedipus a high position among the people. Creon returns with the answer to eliminate the plague. Creon explains: “The god commands us to expel from the land of Thebes an old defilement that we harbor” (Oedipus, Prologue, 100). The old taint is the murderer of King Laios. King Oedipus, the wise and intelligent king, swears: "So once again I must bring this... middle of paper ......n E. "OEDIPUS." Ed. Owen E. Brady and Owen E. Brady. Theater Journal (Assn for Theater in Higher Education) (Baltimore, MD) 57.2 (2005): 311. Print. Online literature. Gould, Thomas. “The Innocence of Oedipus: Philosophers on Oedipus the King”. Arion 4.3 (1965): 363-386. Kennedy, XJ Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing. 7th ed. compact. /Ed. interactive. Boston, Mass: Pearson, 2012. Print.Letters, FJH “The Oedipus Tyrannus.” The life and works of Sophocles. London: Sheed and Ward, 1953. 201-230. Gale of wind. Internet. May 8, 2014. Walton, J. Michael. “Oedipus Rex: Overview. » Reference guide to world literature. Ed. Lesley Henderson. 2nd ed. New York: St. James Press, 1995. Gale. Internet. April 30, 2014.Weil, Herbert S., JR. “Oedipus Rex: oracles and action. » Texas Studies in Literature and Language 10.3 (1968): pp. Print.