In his book Technique of the Drama (1863), the German critic Gustav Freytag created a method for understanding the narrative structure of a drama called Freytag's Triangle, also known as Freytag's Pyramid because of its focus on the climax of the tale as the most important part of any story("Freytag's Triangle," EnglishBiz, 2007).The first few scenes or moments, also known the incisive action, touches off the story, introduces the major characters and issues, and arouses the interest of the viewer. The causes or the reasons for the drama are downplayed, the effects or the emotional impact of the scenes are stressed ("Freytag's Triangle," EnglishBiz, 2007). This is perfectly embodied in the beginning of Sophocles' tragedy of "Oedipus Rex," when the current king of Thebes vows to discover the cause of the plague afflicting his adopted city. He will expel the man who brought down the curse upon the city, just as he freed the city from the grip of the Sphinx by solving its riddle.
             The complication or rising action (as the next of Freytag's transitional stages is known) comes when Oedipus attempts to discover the identity of the offender. More of Oedipus' history is revealed. Oedipus was born the child, the king believes, of a simple rural family. He left home to seek his fortune when he learned from the Oracle of Delphi that he was destined to marry his mother and kill his father. He hoped to avoid his fate, so he tried to protect his parents by abandoning them. He was assaulted by an old man on the road, coming to Thebes and killed the man in a quarrel. But he solved the Sphinx's riddle, saved the city, and married King Laius' widow. Now, he learns that the former King Laius' murderer is being punished via the plague afflicting the entire city. When the blind prophet Tiresias tells Oedipus not to press the investigation further, Oedipus is enraged at th...