Oedipus Rex and Aristotle Essay example

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

“‘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).

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

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

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.

    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

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

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

Throughout time, the tragedy has been seen as the most emotionally pleasing form of drama, because of its ability to bring the viewer into the drama and feel for the characters, especially the tragic hero. This analysis of tragedy was formed by the Greek philosopher Aristotle, and also noted in his Poetics (guidelines to drama). As a playwright, Shakespeare used Aristotle’s guidelines to tragedy when writing Othello. The play that was created revolved around the tragic hero, Othello, whose tragic flaw transformed him from a nobleman, into a destructive creature, which would inevitably bring him to his downfall. This transformation follows an organic movement of the complex plot from the beginning, middle, to the end of the drama while

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

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.

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

In his Theory of Tragedy in the Poetics, Aristotle explains the characteristics necessary to create a good tragedy. He defines tragedy as “an imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude.” In other words, a tragedy must be focused and realistic. It must also evoke a “sense of fear and pity within the audience”, through its six parts, and end with a katharsis or cleansing of these emotions. The six parts of, a tragedy determines the quality and the most important parts include: plot and character. Aristotle also outlined the characteristics necessary in order to create an ideal tragic hero. Oedipus the King written by Sophocles, is an example of a perfect tragedy and Oedipus is a perfect example of a tragic hero.

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.

Aristotle defines a tragedy as a ‘representation of an action which is important, complete and limited in length. It is enacted not recited and by arousing pity and fear, it gives an outlet to emotions of this type.’