Oedipus Rex

A detailed Summary of Oedipus Rex


In his Poetics, Aristotle defined the term 'tragedy' as 'a man not preeminently virtuous and just, whose misfortune, however, is brought upon him not by vice or depravity, but by some error in judgement... the change in the hero's fortune must not be from misery to happiness, but on the contrary, from happiness to misery'. From this definition, he further expanded it by defining the profile of the tragic hero. I agree with Aristotle's views in which he considered the best tragedy ever written was Sophacle's Oedipus Rex. He felt that a tragedy should consist of the hero's goodness and superiority, a tragic flaw in which the hero makes fatal errors in judgement which eventually lead to his downfall, and the absence of freewill in the tragic hero's life.

Oedipus was a good ruler: just, compassionate and sympathetic. When the priests of Thebes approached him, pleading for help


Oedipus Rex is a perfect example of what Aristotle meant by a tragedy. It talks about a man who has no say in what path his life would take, a man who once had everything. He was a king, a good husband and father, a man contented with his lot in life who eventually lost his status, wife, children and home. He brings us sympathy simply because he was not evil or foolish, just human and fallibal.



Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 594
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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