Oedipus the King

Oedipus the King According to Aristotle's Definition Of Tragedy

As an admirer of Sophocles, Aristotle considered the play Oedipus the King the perfect tragedy. This tragedy was also used as a basis of Aristotle's definition of the genre. Indeed, the philosopher considered the play a perfect example of the tragedy. It is therefore unlikely that Sophocles' play would in any way divert from Aristotle's definition of the tragedy. In order to investigate this, Aristotle's definition will be used to discuss the tragic elements in Sophocles' play. This discussion will then show how Sophocles created, in Aristotle's opinion the "perfect" tragedy.

According to Aristotle's definition, certain specific elements are required in the tragedy. The most important of these is the medium in which the events occur, which is drama rather than narrative. Aristotle emphasizes the importance of drama in that it dramatizes probability rather than merely explaining what has occurred, as historical narrative would do. In the case of Oedipus the King, the tragedy is demonstrated through the unity of events. While there are thousands of probabilities, the unity of events inevitably lead to the central tragedy when all is revealed. The tragedy is complete when the author reveals that the forces of prophesy and fate are too strong for even the strong Oedipus to overcome. In these events, the audience experience pity and fear, because the logical connection of events bring home to the audience the universal idea of human powerlessness in the face of fate. The prophesy that Oedipus fears throughout his life begins the events of the play when he unwittingly kills the king. The connection of apparent coincidences throughout the play then leads to the ultimate tragedy of Oedipus, finally realizing that the whole prophesy has come true and in guilt blinds himself.

The second important element of the tragedy is a strong main character, who supports the plot of the drama. In this, the main character's motivations and fears interlink with the plot elements in the movement towards the climax of the tragedy. The main character, according to Aristotle, should not only be a person of great importance and prosperity in society, but he should also have admirable personality traits. The combination of material and spiritual prosperity will then make the outcome all the more tragic. This is certainly so in the case of Oedipus. The audience sympathizes with him from the beginning, as he makes every attempt to avoid the prophesy against him. He is adopted by a royal family and becomes a renowned, loved and wise king. When events begin to work against him, he initially suspects his close friends and advisers, but soon it becomes clear that the prophecy's fulfillment has begun. Aristotle's definition of tragedy in terms of character relates to a central flaw or mistake through which the main character brings about his own downfall. Oedipus' mistake is particularly ironic, as it is exactly through his attempt to avoid the prophesied tragedy that he brings it about.

Thought and diction are the third and fourth elements that Aristotle defines as important in a tragedy. Thought relates to the ideas behind the tragic events in the drama. In Oedipus this may be defined as the powerlessness of human beings against preordained fate. Diction refers to the expression of meaning through words. Stylistic elements of tragedy for example may include a character's use of metaphor. Oedipus does this very eloquently throughout the play and particularly during the climax, at the end of which he blinds himself. He uses this act as a self-punishment for his foolishness, which in itself might be construed a kind of blindness, throughout the play. Through his blind pursuit of a truth he could not fully fathom, Oedipus arrives at the tragedy that he helped fate to bring over him.

Aristotle's fifth important element of tragedy is song, or melody. In Sophocles' play, this occurs in the form of the chorus. The chorus forms part of the events in the play. It serves not only as a narrator of events, but also as a type of character that interacts with the events and other characters. As such, the chorus contributes to the important unity of the plot.

The final element of tragedy is spectacle, which, according to Aristotle, is the least important component of the tragedy. The reason for this is that Aristotle saw the creation of spectacular effects as a largely mechanical rather than an artistic function. Elements of plot and language are far more important in terms of literature than the visual effects of the play. As such then, these effects were best performed offstage. This includes grisly scenes such as the reading of entrails for the purpose of prophesy and Oedipus' act of blinding himself. This is perhaps the most significant difference between Aristotle's ideal of the tragic play and the modern movie audience's taste for an ever increasing spectacle of blood. Aristotle favored subtlety in presentation in order to let the higher arts convey the art of the drama.