According to Aristotle, the tragic hero is impeded by a distinguishable characteristic or character trait which leads to his ultimate demise. This trait is known as hamartia, or the "tragic flaw." This characteristic is said to not only lead to the hero"s demise but may also enable the reader to sympathize with the character. So it follows that in Oedipus the King, a Greek tragedy, the tragic hero Oedipus should have some sort of flaw. However, after close examination of the text, no distinguishable "flaw" is revealed. Although Oedipus appears to have many "flaws" on the surface, namely his poor...
have considered pride to be a tragic flaw.

Oedipus"s flaw is one of a physical nature, and not one of character. Laius went to an Oracle, received news he did not like and attempted to change his destiny. Oedipus went to an Oracle, and he too tried to flee his destiny. By running from his fate, Oedipus ends up sealing both his and his parent"s destiny. The primary moral that the reader should come away with is to let nature take its course. The odds are, as Oedipus and Laius find out the hard way, fate will prevail anyway.