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    Oedipus Rex Summary

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    Talha Ansari
    Oedipus Rex is a classical Greek tragedy that exemplifies Aristotle's definition of tragedy. It has all the essential elements - a tragic hero in Oedipus with a fatal flaw; a tragic plot that leads to his downfall through his own actions; and a serious, frightening atmosphere sustained throughout that builds tension and results in catharsis for the audience. The dialogue and chorus reinforce the tragic message of Oedipus' ill-fated life and downfall.

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    Oedipus Rex Summary

    Uploaded by

    Talha Ansari
    130 views1 page
    Oedipus Rex is a classical Greek tragedy that exemplifies Aristotle's definition of tragedy. It has all the essential elements - a tragic hero in Oedipus with a fatal flaw; a tragic plot that leads to his downfall through his own actions; and a serious, frightening atmosphere sustained throughout that builds tension and results in catharsis for the audience. The dialogue and chorus reinforce the tragic message of Oedipus' ill-fated life and downfall.

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    Here is Oedipus Rex by Sophocles samary

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    Oedipus Rex is a classical Greek tragedy that exemplifies Aristotle's definition of tragedy. It has all the essential elements - a tragic hero in Oedipus with a fatal flaw; a tragic plot that leads to his downfall through his own actions; and a serious, frightening atmosphere sustained throughout that builds tension and results in catharsis for the audience. The dialogue and chorus reinforce the tragic message of Oedipus' ill-fated life and downfall.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    130 views1 page

    Oedipus Rex Summary

    Uploaded by

    Talha Ansari
    Oedipus Rex is a classical Greek tragedy that exemplifies Aristotle's definition of tragedy. It has all the essential elements - a tragic hero in Oedipus with a fatal flaw; a tragic plot that leads to his downfall through his own actions; and a serious, frightening atmosphere sustained throughout that builds tension and results in catharsis for the audience. The dialogue and chorus reinforce the tragic message of Oedipus' ill-fated life and downfall.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
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    Oedipus Rex as a Classical Tragedy

    Oedipus Rex is a typical classical tragedy because it has the element of tragic setting, atmosphere
    and mood, tragic character with tragic hamartia, tragic plot design moving to tragic disintegration,
    and therefore the tragic realization by the character and audience.

    The dialogue as well as the language of the chorus also emphasizes the tragic
    message about the tragic life of the ill-fated Oedipus.

    Oedipus Rex is an ancient Greek tragedy which is so typical of the classical tragedies
    that Aristotle took it as an example to define and illustrate the qualities of a tragedy.
    Aristotle's definition is a descriptive one (and not prescriptive); the definition of tragedy
    has been modified because many great tragedies have been written since without being
    confined to the Aristotelian features. However, it is feasible to first see this tragedy in
    terms of Aristotle's definition.
    Aristotle defined tragedy in terms of its plot, character and action. The plot of a tragedy must consist
    of one, great and complete action. Each part of the play must contribute to the final tragic
    consequences and effect. The cause and effect must be logically linked: no external force must
    intervene. The main tragic character must possess great status and ideal qualities; but he must also
    have a weakness, though not a moral flaw —this weakness is called ‘hamartia'. The consequence of
    the character's own error of judgment or of his wrong action must bring the fall, from which there is
    no escape. This should give us the sense of inevitability, making us accept and realize the reality
    and the weakness of the character. The reversal and discovery must reveal to the character and the
    audience the cause of the character's undoing and downfall. It should not be the doing of the
    external forces, like supernatural forces or of fate and chance.

    Besides the tragic plot, we have a typically tragic character, Oedipus. Oedipus is a tragic character
    because he is a great man with some ideals and with a commitment to find out the truth and cure the
    problem besetting is country. But like a tragic character, he has a tragic weakness. His tragic
    weakness is that in the confidence of what he knows or can know he becomes too careless and
    disrespectful towards the gods, the fate that the oracles have disclosed for him: he defies to any
    inner voice and wisdom with regards to fate and destiny.

    Another tragic element in the play Oedipus Rex is its tragic atmosphere. From beginning to end, we
    are exposed to very serious and frightening situations. The dramatic conflict among the characters
    and the dramatic tension that builds in our minds never settles down; and there is no comic element,
    even like in Shakespearean tragedies. Like in a typical tragedy, the dramatist has designed even the
    dialogue so carefully as to create and sustain a very serious tone and mood throughout. The hopes
    that always lead us to fear, and the anxiety that always leads us to frustration finally contributes to
    the catharsis. Our false hopes and wishes as prompted and guided by the chorus finally collapse
    into the tragic purification of emotions, which is called catharsis or purgation (in the audience), along
    with the tragic change in the characters. The chorus is also a corollary element that contributes
    considerably in the tragic characteristics of this drama.

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