Oedipus Rex: A Classic Tragedy
Sophocles's Oedipus Rex fits Aristotle's conception of tragedy to a great extent. Basically, Aristotle defines a tragedy as a play expressed through poetry that ends unhappily for a nobleman whose fate incites fear and pity in the audience. Oedipus Rex meets all of these requirements fully. In Poetics, Aristotle writes, "Tragedy... is an imitation of an action... in language embellished with each kind of artistic ornament... in the form of action, not narrative." Sophocles wrote Oedipus Rex as a play, in the form of action and not narrative. The characters speak everything, from the action to the internal dialogue. While novels would have a third person narrator, a play like Oedipus Rex conveys the plot through dialogue. An example of this is when the messenger tells Choragos what has become of Jocasta and Oedipus. Sophocles writes, "For the King ripped from h
Sophocles writes, "If I had eyes,/ I do not know how I could bear the sight/ Of my father, when I came to the house of Death,/ Or my mother: for I have sinned against them both/ So vilely that I could not make my peace/ By strangling my own life" (1419). By the Éxodos, the final scene of the play, Oedipus is pathetically, miserably sad. When Aristotle mentioned embellished language in his description of a tragedy, he meant that tragedies are written in verse, like poetry. The focus shifts and therefore they expend all of their emotions on the play. According to Aristotle, katharsis, meaning "release," is an important aspect to tragedies. Oedipus Rex once again meets this requirement, because while it does not rhyme, Sophocles wrote it as a poem. In Oedipus Rex, Oedipus, a king, falls from power due to his unfortunate actions and fate. Oedipus Rex satisfies the audience's need for release through its expenditure of emotions. This turn of events may disgust the reader, but it also brings forth feelings of pity for his situation. This also applies to the point in the play when Oedipus learns that Jocasta, his wife, is his mother. After watching so heavy and dismal a play, the audience's mood actually brightens. Oedipus Rex also fully satisfies Aristotle's conception of tragedy because the Oedipus, a king, falls from power in such a way that the audience feels pity and katharsis from viewing this play.
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