tragoed Oedipus the King (Oedipus Rex) as Greek Tragedy :: Oedipus the King Oedipus Rex

Oedipus The King as Greek disaster                                                                                           The genre of drama is wide and contains works of varied forms and subjects. The first drama, on which all later works are based, developed in Greece and dealt with sacred and social issues. According to Aristotle&213s The Poetics, a Greek Tragedy must(prenominal) deal with a serious purpose, arousing a sense of pity or fear in the earshot. The emphasis must be on while over source development and the playwright must utilize uncertainty and unity of time, place and accomplishment. Aristotle writes that a tragic hero is a character who is renowned and prosperous, not necessarily perfect, but not an evil person either. The tragic hero must meet with a reversal of fact brought about by either folly or fate. Based on these criteria, Oedipus the King by Sophocles is considered the prototypical Greek Tragedy. Oedipus, the play&213s of import character, is also considered the model of a Greek tragic hero. Oedipus the King deals with several(prenominal) serious purposes, the greatest of which being the agnosticism Sophocles perceived in his community. through with(predicate) Iokaste who &210&201would not waste a second thought&201&211 on oracles, Sophocles shows his audience the perils of disbelief in the gods, since each prophecy made by oracles in the play ended up coming true (l. 813). Sophocles uses his play to realize serious religious functions as well as to entertain theatre-goers. The fulfillment of the predictions made by the oracles led to the downfall of Oedi pus, which created a catharsis in the audience, brought by arousing mites of pity and fear for the fallen king. The Choragos gives the lesson, &210&201let none simulate on his good fortune until he find life, at his death, a memory without pain&211 (l. 1473-5). This scene allows the audience to leave the theater feeling purged of their pity and fear. The plot is the most important component of Oedipus the King, as it is of all(prenominal) Greek Tragedy. Development of characters is secondary, and the audience rarely &212gets inside&213 any of the characters. completely characters crucial to the plot are introduced there is no extraneous action on stage. This development of plot is a challenge. A tragedian must certify a story with which the audience is already familiar and still shake up it interesting