Sophocles Oedipus The King - 1714 Words

The renowned Greek philosopher, Aristotle, is widely known for his theories in mathematics, physics, and politics. However, he is also known for establishing ideas in the field of literature, such as the concept of tragedy and the theory of the importance of scenes of recognition and reversal. This ancient concept and theory are still highly discussed and used to analyze numerous pieces of literature to this day. One piece that could be considered as an â€Å"ideal tragedy† is the play â€Å"Oedipus the King† written by Sophocles. In this play, Sophocles utilizes the concept of tragedy as well the theory of the importance of scenes of recognition and reversal to create a setting, tone, and mood throughout the play. Oedipus, the mythical king of†¦show more content†¦An example of the use of fear to bring emotion to the reader in â€Å"Oedipus the King† is when the city of Thebes is suffering from a plague that destroys fields of crops as well as the ferti lity of its woman. â€Å"A blight is on the fruitful plants of the earth, a blight is on the cattle in the fields, a blight is on our women that no children are born to them; a God that carries fire, a deadly pestilence, is on our town (Sophocles 26-30). At the beginning of the play when Oedipus is asking the people of Thebes why they are sitting in front of his palace, a Priest explains that there is a plague going on in the city and they want an end to it. It is later known that the plague will never end until the murderer of Laius, the king of Thebes before Oedipus, is found. Oedipus vows to find the murderer, which eventually leads to him finding out he was the one who killed his father and married his own mother, thus fulfilling his fate. This extracts pity from the reader, for all the character tried their hardest to run from the prophecy but in the end, it still catches them. Lastly, tragedy can be seen throughout the entire play, as readers see the steady downfall of a hero , who was heavily influenced by his hubris or pride. Aristotle’s ideal tragic hero is one the must exceed the average man intellectually, physically and mentally. Oedipus not only travels throughout the city defeating numerous foes, but eventually becomes the king of Thebes. Not only that, according to