Oedipus the King Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 6

Oedipus the King - Essay Example Parts of Oedipus are dramatic, rather than narrative. When Oedipus suspects that he has killed Laius, he doesn’t tell Jocasta of his suspicions, but drags it out of her bit by bit in an unnecessary dramatic fashion. He asks: Where did it happen? What did he look like? Who was he with? Can the survivor be sent for? Then he cries, â€Å"O God, what have you planned to do to me? (42). Oedipus also has several moments that arouse pity, and fear. The most notable of which is King Laius’ order to have baby Oedipus killed. Readers (as well as characters in the story) would feel sorry for the baby, but fear a king ruthless enough to kill his own son. The one element that doesn’t fit with Aristotle’s claim is poetic language. At least in the edition I have, the language is everyday, layperson language. There is nothing poetic about it, and little that requires in depth translation. The moment in which Oedipus realizes he has killed his father is a cathartic one. He is torn between the repulsion of having had sex with his mother, the knowledge that he has murdered his biological mother, and wanting to save face as a king, or allow his kingdom to show weakness. I doubt if anyone feels relieved by the events that took place. In the end, it was still depressing, unlike Aristotle’s view of Greek tragedy. It is true that Oedipus was neither totally good, nor totally evil. He was, obviously, a murderer, but he was actually attempting to flee because he thought it would save his father, not knowing he was the son of Laius. It is also true that Sophocles needed to put Oedipus into the position of king, so that when the true events were made known, there would be more of an impact, that if we found out some shepherd had accidentally killed King Laius. Oedipus’ unfortunate circumstances allow us to feel pity for him. It wasn’t his fault that he was ordered killed, and it wasn’t his fault that he didn’t recognize his own father There are a few points that