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 her gow

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By the Éxodos, the final scene of the play, Oedipus is pathetically, miserably sad. This is how tragedies produce katharsis. The focus shifts and therefore they expend all of their emotions on the play. Oedipus Rex satisfies the audience’s need for release through its expenditure of emotions.

Aristotle continues with his definition of tragedy, stating it pertains to men of rank who fall from grace and whose fall earns pity from the reader or audience. The members of the audience become so involved with Oedipus’s fall from greatness that they forget about their own problems. In Oedipus Rex, Oedipus, a king, falls from power due to his unfortunate actions and fate. Oedipus Rex once again meets this requirement, because while it does not rhyme, Sophocles wrote it as a poem. After watching so heavy and dismal a play, the audience’s mood actually brightens.

According to Aristotle, katharsis, meaning “release,” is an important aspect to tragedies.

Oedipus Rex fits both the modern and classical definitions of tragedy to some extent. 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. The impossibly painful act of gouging ones eyes out causes the reader to feel pity for Oedipus, the tragic hero. Upon discovering he is his father’s murderer and is married to his mother, Oedipus blinds himself and begs to be exiled or killed. The play’s depressing mood creates a dark and gloomy atmosphere.

Approximate Word count = 588
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)

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