Analysis of "Oedipus the King"

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses how "Oedipus the King" ("Oedipus Tyrannus"), by Sophocles, which is set in the remoteness of ancient Greece and has come down to us in the form of a tragic myth, was allegedly inspired by true events and actual characters. It examines how the Greek philosopher, Aristotle, referred to this play continually in his "Poetics", pointing out features of the ideal tragic poem, and in the later years of the 19th century, Sigmund Freud adapted this myth as the basis for one of his most controversial psychoanalytic interpretations, namely, the "Oedipal Complex."

From the Paper:

"In the case of Aristotle, Oedipus the King was interpreted not only as a powerful myth but also as a source of what defines true tragedy. For Aristotle, this connoted "an imitation of an action, not of narrative, that is serious and complete and through pity and fear, the proper purgation of these emotions is effected" (Martin 136). Thus, the central character of a tragedy like Oedipus the King must emote some sense of being virtuous despite having feelings of pity and fear for his eventual downfall which creates in the reader or the viewer a kind of outrage. Also, such a character cannot revel in evilness; he must be one "who is not outstanding in virtue nor full of righteousness but through a fatal flaw (hamartia) meets his end" (Woodard 178)."

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