Tragedy in Homeric poems (Iliad/ Odyssey)

Oedipus was actually Aristotle's prototype of the tragic hero. He suffered from "hubris" or pride, which blinded him to the truth. He ignored the prophecy of Teiresias, who correctly prophesied that he was Laius' murderer. Odysseus experienced "recognition", at the moment he realized his part in Laius' death, and the fact that his search brought him full circle and pointed at his own guilt. He also experienced "reversal" at that same moment, defining his role as a tragic hero with a tragic flaw.... the flaw that would lead to his own downfall.