Tragedy

7 December 2015

Tragedy

As an impression in literature, tragedy is often reference as a steady evolution of ill-fated events where the involved characters will have had endured several misfortunes that come to a horrible disaster. There may be a single character or many. Tragedy within literary works should consist of five basic stages: happy times, the introduction to the problem, the problem should advance into a dilemma, and lastly the problem becomes way too out of control for the characters then have a catastrophic or even a grave ending. According to the argument made by Aristotle, the perfect tragedy should be realistic and having a narrow focus, provoke pity and fear to the audiences, be able to outline traits of a perfect tragic hero and be full of ironies.

Now, by having this concept in mind let’s see how Sophocles’ story Oedipus the King becomes a tragedy. We begin with Oedipus finding himself within the palace of king Polybus of Corinth, there he was raised with the feeling that he had a pleasant life as he was taken in as king’s own son. What he did not realize was that he was a son to King Laius and Queen Jocasta and that he was merely rescued by a servant whom after being ordered by his own mother to kill him on her behalf as she was directed by his father. Instead the servant gave him to a shepherd whom took him to Corinth. As time passes, Oedipus hears a rumor that Polybus and Merope are not his biological parents and when he confronts them they deny the rumor. He then decides to ask the Delphic Oracle, but the real question is avoided and he is told that he is destined not only to fall in love with his own mother, but kill his own father. This fortune scared him and he decided to travel to Thebes in order to avoid it.

On the way he meets Laius whom he kills after falling into an argument marking the beginning of the many of Oedipus’ problems which are to contribute to his downfall. After solving the Sphinx’s riddle, Oedipus is rewarded...