Oedipus Rex and Aristotle Essay example

    By definition, a tragedy is a story that details the downfall of a protagonist. Most often, the protagonist (tragic hero) is a member of high society who is faced with an oppositional force, be it internal or external. In his Poetics, Aristotle states that "tragedy is the imitation of an action; and an action implies personal agents, who necessarily possess certain distinctive qualities both of character and thought; for it is by these that we qualify actions themselves, and these- thought and character- are the two natural causes from which actions spring, and on actions, again all success or failure depends...." This quote illustrates an aspect of tragedy upon which many works are based, including

"Overview: Oedipus Rex." Drama for Students. Ed. David M. Galens and Lynn M. Spampinato. Vol. 1.

Aristotle’s Poetics analyzes tragedy, breaking it down to its basic

“‘Tragedy is an imitation, not of men, but of action and life, of happiness and misery’” (Milch 12). This statement by Aristotle reflects the ideas portrayed in the play Oedipus Rex. Written by Sophocles, Oedipus Rex is a play which combines tragedy with irony to tell a story of a noble king who falls short of his greatness. The play was written around 430 BC and originally intended for an Athenian audience. They considered Sophocles their most successful playwright and consequently, his works continued to be valued highly throughout the Greek world long after his death. A closer examination of this play is needed to see just why it has been regarded as Sophocles’ masterpiece and the greatest of all Greek tragedies (Milch 16, 36).

According to Klaas Tindemans, “Aristotle’s concept of tragedy has been perceived as both a descriptive and a normative concept: a description of a practice as it should be continued” therefore, Aristotle’s definition of tragedy could be considered complex. On the other hand, according to Tony Hunt in “The Tragedy of Roland”, “in the Poetics Aristotle is particularly concerned with capturing the essence of tragedy and its

The importance of the Greek culture and its inheritance to our civilization is seen in Aristotle’s "Poetics". “Poetics” is considered to be similar to the notes that Aristotle used for lecturing his students. He divides poetry in three main styles: tragedy, epic and comedy- primarily concentrating on tragedy and epic poetry. Even though Aristotle had defined structure and principles of the plays, and poetry using observations done at the Greek theatre thousands of years ago, it is still used by the present writers. Greek tragedy is defined as, a drama or literary work in which the main character is brought to ruin or suffers extreme sorrow, especially as a consequence of a tragic flaw, moral weakness, or inability to cope with unfavorable circumstances.

The tale of Oedipus and his prophecy has intrigued not only the citizens of Greece in the ancient times, but also people all over the world for several generations. Most notable about the play was its peculiar structure, causing the audience to think analytically about the outcomes of Oedipus’ actions and how it compares with Aristotle’s beliefs. Another way that the people have examined the drama is by looking at the paradoxes (such as the confrontation of Tiresias and Oedipus), symbols (such as the Sphinx), and morals that has affected their perceptions by the end of the play. Nonetheless, the most important aspect is how relevant the story is and how it has influenced modern ideas like that of Freud and other people of today.

It is debatable which flaw specifically lead Oedipus to his downfalls. The trait Oedipus demonstrated often was stubbornness, or determination. Determination steered Oedipus to discover and fulfill his fate, he was determined to save Thebes by finding who killed Laius. But Determination is not a flaw, Oedipus did what he morally thought was correct to do; find the murderer of Laius and save Thebes from the plague. The flaw that led Oedipus to his downfall was how prideful he was. He would ignore others who warned him about his fate. Oedipus believed he was above others, more powerful, clever, and

According to Aristotle’s definition of tragedy, the plot of a tragedy is above all the most important element, and for one to write a successful tragedy, one must have an excellent plot. In his Poetics, Aristotle lists four

Shakespeaerian Tragedies: The Link to Aristotle's Ideas The central concern of tragedy has always been to explore the nature

Before beginning, however, it is necessary to examine the aim of Tragedy. A Tragic work, according to Aristotle, was simply one that showed men as better than they typically are in everyday reality. Tragedy served to show mankind at his noblest, without, however, depicting man as unreal or unbelievable. To represent a noble man

Tragedy as an element of the human experience has been the subject of many of the great works of literature written in the Western tradition. For some, tragedy embodies the highest form of humanity. It is through suffering that we are able to reveal ourselves most completely. Others see tragedy as an element of morality where we are to learn well the lessons of those who tempt the gods. The Ancient Greek philosopher, Aristotle, outlined a theory of tragedy as archetypal drama in his classic work, the Poetics. He uses the play by Sophocles, Oedipus the King (hereafter "Oedipus"), as the standard model by which all other tragedies are measured. In Aristotle's view, a perfect

Aristotle defines what a tragedy is in his famed piece Poetics. In it, he sets guidelines that all tragedies should meet in order to become the fantastic displays of misery that they are meant to be. Six main elements are present in every tragedy: plot, character, thought, diction, melody, and spectacle. The two most important, of course, were plot and character. Both had to be complex but believable, consistent, and possess the ability to arouse pity and fear in the audience. Although both are the top elements that are the focus of tragedy, the other four are imperative to achieve the tone and overall character of one.

The experience of tragic art can be determined through the plot setup, the type of tragedy, and how the plot appeals to the audience. Aristotle incorporated distinct rules in his passage about how a plot should be arranged. He indicates that a tragedy must contain a “prologue, episode, exode, and a choral portion…” (Aristotle, 2324), but does a plot need to be so planned? The plot should have some structure, but it should also flow naturally and freely. If there is too much planning in the plot, then the storyline will be too predictable. New ideas and turning points should be part of the story in order to keep the audience on their toes. The scenes of the plot can be about realistic events or about imaginary events. If the events are realistic it may appeal more to the audience in a personal way.

“Oedipus Rex” was a Greek Tragedy written by Sophocles in the fifth century BC. It was the first of a trilogy of plays surrounding the life of Oedipus. Sophocles wrote over 120 plays approximately 100 years before Aristotle even defined a tragedy and the tragic hero. Aristotle’s definition of a tragedy is “… an imitation of an action of high importance, complete and of some amplitude; in language enhanced by distinct and varying beauties; acted not narrated; by means of pity and fear effecting its purgation of these emotions” (Kennedy and Gioa 2010). According to Aristotle there were six elements to a tragedy: the plot, the character, the