Free Oedipus The King As An Example Of Classical Tragedy Literature Review Example

Sophocles was an ancient Greek writer, who along with Aeschylus and Euripides had a great influence on the development of the dramaturgy in general and became the forefather of the tragedy in particular. Those several dramas that remained till nowadays (“Ajax”, “Antigone”, “Electra”, “Philoctetes”) are the masterpieces of ancient Greek literature, and “Oedipus the King” is recognized as one of the peaks of the world drama and the crown of a tragic theater. On the first stages of Athenian tragedy’s formation and development Aristotle was one of the first philosophers who determined the features of this form of dramaturgy. Sophocles endued his tragedies with these features, brought them to perfection and made several innovations by himself. Thus, he increased the dialogical parts, reduced the role of the chorus and added the third actor that allowed the action to be keener and more complicated. The characteristic feature of Sophocles’s dramas is abrupt change in the heroes’ mood: a transition from the high intensity of emotions to the state of a breakdown, when a person realizes with bitterness that he is weak and powerless. Personal disaster, weakness of man in front of the fate and tragic final allow “Oedipus the King” to be considered as the tragedy.
Plots of ancient Greek tragedies were borrowed from the mythology, but also were interpreted in the context of the reality of that time. Being based on myths, the tragedy has always covered significant events. It necessarily included high matters: the questions of justice, love, moral duty, principles, responsibility, etc. The heroes of the tragedies were often the men of high standing (monarchs, commanders, kings) since their actions had a decisive influence on the historical development of the society. Furthermore, Athenian tragedy reflected only those events that had a great impact on the main hero’s fate. “Oedipus the King” bases on the myth about the king Oedipus, who was predicted to kill his father and marry his mother. A desperate attempt to avoid this prediction does not succeed, and by the will of the higher power the catastrophe overtakes Oedipus. At the beginning of the play Oedipus appears as a just ruler of the Thebes and the best of men. The composition of this tragedy distinguishes by the fact that all of the events have already occurred in the past and are not played on the scene; the spectator watches only the outcome of the plot. And during the dramaturgical actions the past events are “reconstructed” with the help of retrospectives that are mentioned in the dialogues between the heroes. Thereby, the whole storyline is based on the attempts of Oedipus to find out the truth about the murder of Laius. At the end of the play Oedipus appears as a miserable man, condemned by himself; the man, who has performed good deeds, but in result he becomes the only villain.
The tragedy of the story about Oedipus is a duo “man-fate” that forms the main conflict of this drama. And the tragic man here (Oedipus) is characterized by the renunciation of his personal life in the name of some invisible and unwavering standard. Every tragedy involves some significant confrontation, and generally, it is the confrontation between the human and the high power (the fate or the Gods). The innovation of Sophocles consists in giving the heroes more rights for controlling their destiny and taking vital decisions by their own, not by the high power. Oedipus here tries to escape from his destiny and from the crime he is predicted to commit. During the whole play Sophocles let the spectator watch how Oedipus avoids bad predictions, lives righteously and contributes to the prosperity of Thebes. It seems that he could outwit the destiny. The final scenes totally change the mood of the play: while trying to find out the truth, Oedipus has condemned himself to eternal torment. But the most tragic truth is that human cannot resist the fate, and everyone is powerless in front of the destiny. “Oedipus the King” absorbs all of the mental suffering of the doomed man; the irreversibility of the things, which are predestined; the bitter truth and punishment for a crime. The man, who so desperately avoided the crime, eventually committed it unknowingly. And this is his tragedy.
“Oedipus the King” should be recognized as the example of the classical tragedy for several reasons. Reference to the mythology, the composition of the play, the significance of the problem and the confrontation between human and high power, - all these characteristics let “Oedipus the King” be a tragedy. However, the most essential feature that makes this play to be considered as a tragedy is one man’s catastrophe that has touched a number of people as well and led to the tragic final.