In answering how Aristotle’s definition of tragedy applied to Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex one must look at Aristotle’s definition of tragedy in Poetics. Aristotle says in chapter 6 that tragedy is “a mimesis of a high, complete action in speech pleasurably enhanced, the different kinds occurring in separate sections, in dramatic, not narrative form, effecting through pity and fear the catharsis of such emotions” (Aristotle). Aristotle most likely had the play in mind as he wrote the Poetics, since he referred to it numerous times. There are also six elements of tragedy which are, mimesis of character, mimesis of intellect, plot, spectacle, song-writing and verbal expression. Not all of these elements are necessary for a story to be a tragedy.
In Poetics chapter 14 Aristotle mentions that Oedipus is the kind of play that would make a person shudder even to think about such a thing taking place. Mimesis of intellect in a tragedy refers to the speeches that are given by a character in which they try to convince someone that their argument is sound. Verbal expression is the application of a meter that is appropriate to tragedy to the poem. The mimesis of character is the second most crucial piece of a tragedy. The mimesis of character includes all of the qualities of the character. This is because in a tragedy the characters are known by their moral principles due to their actions. The protagonist must be morally superior to the other people in the play, but he must also be relatable in order that the reader can sympathize with him. Oedipus covers both qualifications because as the events are unfolding in Oedipus’ life the reader sees him as both being morally better than those around him and being the cause of his own downfall. Also a tragedy must not have a villain.
Another aspect of tragedy according to Aristotle is the plot. This is something that he addresses in chapter 7 of Poetics. According to Aristotle the plot must consist of a complete action. This is an action that has a beginning and an end. The beginning and end must also be connected by a middle in which the main events lie. This is seen in Oedipus despite the fact that the story does not delve much into Oedipus history. This is because the Greek audience would have been familiar with Oedipus and the play must be at an enjoyable length.
Aristotle believed that a tragedy occurs in stories such as Oedipus Rex due to the misfortune laid upon them because of some kind of fault or hamartia. This cannot be a horrible character flaw but an action or trait that is born from a mistake. For Oedipus this is his ignorance. He is ignorant of his true parentage which causes him to kill his biological father and marry his mother. Then he tries to find Laius’ killer not realizing that it was himself. His intelligence also proves to be his downfall as he had used his it to defeat the Sphynx and become the ruler of Thebes, but his intellect would come back to bite him when he realized the truth of his identity.
Since Oedipus had no idea that his intellect or ignorance was playing a role in the events that took place in his life he is just a victim of fate. He could not have been at fault for their effect on his life. Also the events of the play would have probably still happened because they were laid out by destiny the moment that Jocasta and Laius told the soldier to expose Oedipus. The idea that Oedipus has not actively done anything wrong at least knowingly leads most readers to view him as a tragic character.
Another thing that a tragedy needs is a complex plot. Aristotle speaks of this in chapter 10, when he tells us that a complex plot will include peripeteia which is something that “occurs when the course of events takes a turn to the opposite.” (Aristotle). This peripety would cause a recognition to take place due to the way that the plot plays out. This occurs in Oedipus the King when the herdsman realizes that Jocasta and Oedipus are mother and son. This is then learned by Oedipus and Jocasta also. This is another example of Oedipus intellect being harmful. He had sought the herdsman in order to gain the knowledge that he needed to give his city some peace and defeat the blood oath that was destroying it. Instead Jocasta hangs herself and Oedipus blinds himself with her broach. This occurs in the denouement which is when the outcome has taken place and the reader sees the outcome of the tragedy. This occurs for Oedipus when he is banished from Thebes and is forced to wander the Earth blind.
In Greek tragedy the writers to tell the reason behind a person’s suffering in a sort of moral story. In Oedipus Rex this would have been the moral stories of your actions make come back to haunt you when you give your newborn to a kind hearted soldier to expose, rather than doing it yourself. One should not be so quick to kill a stranger on the road just because he is being rude. There is a time when being too smart can put you at a disadvantage and ignorance can only destroy one’s life. Another of Oedipus mistakes and possibly his worst was the fact that he rejected the Oracle’s prophecy. Had he listened to what it had said he would have been able to been spared having his downfall be public knowledge.
Aristotle also spoke of a catharsis which is a purging of one’s fear and pity. Aristotle’s says of music “When they have made use of the melodies which fill the soul with orgiastic feeling, they are brought back by these sacred melodies to a normal condition as if they had been medically treated and undergone a purge. Those who are subject to the emotions of pity and fear and the feelings generally will necessarily be affected in the same way” (Aristotle). This also applies within the play to the fact that after Oedipus killed his father and committed incest with his mother the city of Thebes needed to be purified. The people of the city felt that the plague that the city was suffering was caused by Laius murderer not being punished. This was done by Oedipus being exiled. This was because with Oedipus being banished from the city Thebes was cleared of its blood debt and the Laius murderer was punished.
Works Cited
Aristotle, Stephen Halliwell, Longinus, W. H. Fyfe, Donald Russell, Doreen Innes, W. Rhys Roberts, and Demetrius. Aristotle Poetics. Cambridge, MA: Harvard UP, 1995. Print.
Bloom, Harold. Sophocles' Oedipus Rex. New York: Chelsea House, 2007. Print.
