In the modern world, theater is a way for people to escape their daily lives, but it is much more than that. Today as in ancient Greece, these performances helped teach people lessons and learn about historical events. Although in today's society it does not play as important a role as in ancient Greece, it is an influential art that allows many issues and problems in society to be expressed. In Greek life, theater played an important role, hence a form of drama known as tragedy. Tragedy focused on many themes such as love, loss, pride, abuse of power, and orchestrated relationships between gods and men. In these tragedies, the protagonist often inadvertently makes a bad decision, and as he learns the mistake he made, the world begins to collapse around him. The character of Oedipus, in Sophocles' Oedipus the King, is an excellent example of Aristotle's "noble man." Oedipus may not have the trait of remaining calm in small situations, but he knows how to speak properly to people of all classes and has a need for the truth despite the consequences. In the work Oedipus Rex, Oedipus is not a noble man due to his lack of self-control when angry. Aristotle says: “The noble man is not quick to expose himself to small dangers.” This means that a noble man will not willingly put himself in danger unless it is for a good reason. He will assess the threat and determine if it is worth taking action before putting himself in a position to fight. Also that a noble man would have enough self-control to stop before a situation got out of hand. In Oedipus Rex, Tiresias declares: “I say that you are the murderer you seek.” This was said during an argument between Tiresias and Oedipus. Teiresias declares that he will not reveal the information about Laius' death. Oedipus ends up forcing him to disclose the information, which allows him to say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get an original essay In the modern world, theater is a way for people to escape their daily lives, but it is much more than that. Today as in ancient Greece, these performances helped teach people lessons and learn about historical events. Although in today's society it does not play as important a role as in ancient Greece, it is an influential art that allows many issues and problems in society to be expressed. In Greek life, theater played an important role, hence a form of drama known as tragedy. Tragedy focused on many themes such as love, loss, pride, abuse of power, and orchestrated relationships between gods and men. In these tragedies, the protagonist often inadvertently makes a bad decision, and as he learns the mistake he made, the world begins to collapse around him. The character of Oedipus, in Sophocles' Oedipus the King, is an excellent example of Aristotle's "noble man." Oedipus may not have the characteristic of remaining calm in small situations, but he knows how to speak correctly to people of all classes and has a need for the truth despite the consequences. In the work Oedipus Rex, Oedipus is not a noble man due to his lack of self-control when angry. Aristotle states, “The noble man is not quick to expose himself to small dangers” (Witt 160). This means that a noble man will not willingly put himself in danger unless it is for a good reason. He will assess the threat and determine if it is worthworth acting before putting yourself in a position to fight. Also that a noble man would have enough self-control to stop before a situation got out of hand. In Oedipus Rex, Tiresias declares: “I say that you are the murderer you seek.” This was said during an argument between Tiresias and Oedipus. Teiresias declares that he will not reveal the information about Laius' death. Oedipus eventually forces him to divulge the information, which in turn reveals that Oedipus was the one who killed the king. Later in the work, Iokaste reveals the details of the murder, which involved men running Oedipus off the road. The king was not killed in an act of honor, claiming that when Oedipus killed the king it was purely because of rage and lack of self-control. This action is not characteristic of a man of nobility since he engaged in a small danger for no good reason which resulted in the murder of another man. Although Oedipus may not have all the qualities of a man of nobility, Oedipus does have the ability to be kind to the lower classes. “It is characteristic of the man of nobility…to be high in his behavior towards those who are high and favored by fortune, but affable towards those of the middle ranks; for it is a difficult thing and a worthy thing to assert about these” (Witt 160). A noble man must be able to treat people properly based on their social class. This also refers to how they have to be very careful about how they treat the lower class because they don't want to be seen badly by the public. Sophocles states, “My children, I would not have you speak through messengers, therefore I have come myself to hear you” (Witt 110). In this scene, Oedipus speaks directly to the crowd about how he is there to help and how he wanted to speak to them directly. Oedipus tries to connect with all the crowds and people, which is characteristic of a noble man since he tries to be kind and considerate to the lower classes. Oedipus also wants it to be known that he respects and cares for people from the lower classes. Another quality of Oedipus associated with a man of nobility is his concern for the truth of all things. “He must care about the truth more than what men will think of him.” A noble man should always want to know the truth and should not worry about the consequences or effects the truth may have. Sophocles writes: “In the name of God, we beseech you all… What! Do you know something and don't want to tell us? Would you betray us all and destroy the state? Teiresias refuses to give information to Oedipus, which makes Oedipus very frustrated and angry because he believes that being deprived of this information is affecting the city. This shows that Oedipus is searching for the truth and only the truth. In this scene, it is also ironic because Oedipus is asking for precisely the information that will incriminate him and result in his exile from the city. Oedipus thus forces Tiresias to reveal the truth for the benefit of the city, even if this information will negatively affect him. The relationship between the character Oedipus and the noble man is that they both need the truth and do not worry about whether the truth will harm them or how others will view them. They are both willing to risk everything in their quest for the truth and are unaffected by possible outcomes. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay The character Oedipus in Sophocles' Oedipus Rex may not have the character of self-control when angry, but he knows how to communicate properly with people of all classes and has need the.