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“Tragedy is an imitation of an action of high importance, complete and of some amplitude; in language enhanced by distinct and varying beauties; acted not narrated; by means of pity and fear effecting its purgation of these emotions.”
Apply the elements in the above criteria for tragedy set out by Aristotle in his work Poetics. With specific reference to Oedipus the King, explain how the play meets these specific standards set by the philosopher. Please address each of the criteria (e.g. high importance, complete, amplitude, language etc.)
Please address comments to others by name so we can all follow along.
43 thoughts on “Week 3 Discussion”
Aristotle considered Oedipus Rex to be the ultimate example of dramatic tragedies, so it is not surprising that we find examples of all aspects of his definition of the genre well represented in the play. Taking the elements one-by-one:
Imitation of action of high importance: The play is an imitation of the characters of a royal court whose decisions have an impact on the entire city-state of Thebes. The figures come across as “real people” in their interactions and display of emotion, adding to the sense of imitation of life. The action is of high importance in that the stakes for the city and characters could not be higher (plague, banishment, generational impacts).
Complete and of some amplitude: Each of the main characters is ultimately impacted in some way by the events. The reverberations will be felt down through the generations by Oedipus’ children. Even the foreign city of Corinth is affected, as they had intended for Oedipus to be their king as well.
Language enhanced by beauty / acted not narrated: Although the chorus in some way acts as a narrator, the primary plot of the play is acted by the main characters. The language used is quite beautiful and adds to the drama and amplitude.
Pity and fear/purgation of emotion: I could not help but feel pity for Oedipus, as he is the victim of events outside of his intent, knowledge, or control. The same is true of Jocasta, the royal children, and Creon (who has no desire to retake the position of head of state). The emotion of the play is amplified by the stakes, repercussions, and tragic outcomes.
Karl, this is a sensitive and thorough response to the application of Aristotle’s concepts to this particular play. You have touched on all the elements in this very specific definition of tragedy. I’m so glad you mention the Chorus. Often readers who might be new to Greek tragedy and its highly poetic language, overlook the function of this collective character. And the most enhanced of enhanced language flows from the mouths of these citizens of Thebes. Without becoming too politically volatile, I would comment that there is a chorus of citizens marching on the streets of the United States right now, expressing in various ways their fears and desires. We might wish they could speak in language “enhanced by varying beauties;” nonetheless, the collective voice of citizens in a time of both plague and national crisis is being raised.
Prof. Conway, thank you for sharing your insight about the chorus. It very much illustrates the ability of these ancient texts to have relevance and resonance to our current times.
Karl, I think part of the genius of this play is that it is timeless. It speaks so eloquently to human nature and the condition of being human. And in this time, we are living through a plague and a moment of great unrest among the citizens.
Karl, it looks like once again, we are having a private conversation. Oh well, it’s been an interesting one.
Hello Karl — I appreciate that you are able to see the play from a wide-angle, sometimes my view is myopic. I wonder if Jocasta would have done more to intervene for the good of her family and especially Oedipus instead of participating in the tragic events that made his life so tragic, would this have made it easier to have pity and empathy for her instead of disdain and pity? My thoughts about her are mixed. In my view, she would have been more acceptable despite abandoning her son and later marrying him.
Lisa, thank you for the thoughtful comment. Regarding the character of Jocasta, I do have a certain ambivalence about her. The events that unfold are set in motion, in large part, by her allowing for her infant son Oedipus to be sentenced to death. As we understand from the play, this is due to a prophecy revealed to her husband, King Laius, that he is doomed to perish by the hand of his son. However, we also come to understand that Jocasta does not believe in oracles and prophecies. This makes here acceptance of the death sentence of her infant son even more egregious. Her suicide is indeed one of the tragic outcomes of the play. However, it is unclear to me if, in the context of fifth-century BCE Greece, such a suicide would have been considered an honorable or noble act. In taking her own life, she leaves her four children to fend for themselves. So, while I certainly feel pity for Jocasta, she is a flawed character and not without fault in her own actions and decisions.
Hello Karl T. firstly i’d like to say that finding your responses to be the first one, has become a pleasant expectation of mine. When i read the DB page and i see your work, i use it as a positive driving force to compete. I personally dislike writing and essays, yet this course has proven quite interesting and you play a part in that one. Now for the work at hand i always like how you break down the same source material i’ve read myself because it’s as though having someone to highlight something i may have missed. For example the complete part, i didn’t write this in my original but another thought came to mind as i was reading your analysis. Another way this could be touched on is with the characters Creon and Oedipus.. Creon did not seek the crown and in the end to have gained it anyway; or with Oedipus, It was an amazing deed that granted him the title of king, yet a tragic deed is what ripped it from him. I guess when i read complete it brings me to irony.
Anthony, thank you for your kind comments. One of the advantages of an asynchronous course is the ability to complete tasks and projects on one’s own schedule, within the course parameters. I prefer to do most of the tasks in the early part of the week, as it better suits my schedule. The engaging nature of the readings, other content, and interesting comments shard by classmates adds to my desire to not delay in the tasks.
Regarding Creon, it is indeed interesting that he finds himself as the head of state. (I am not sure if he technically gets the title of king. I think perhaps he is more like a regent or acting head of state until the city decides what to do about the situation.) In his broader character arc, it is not the first time Creon finds himself as head of state, nor will it be the last. It as if he keeps trying to step back from being a ruler and yet keeps getting pulled back into the role through misfortunes that beset those around him.
Karl, your comments about Creon are very well taken. If you read the second play in the trilogy, Oedipus at Colonus, you’ll see what kind of king he becomes.
Aristotle’s taught that “tragedy is an imitation of an action of high importance, complete and of some amplitude in relation to drama and specifically to Oedipus and his entire immediate family’s tragic and sad history. There is a noticeable and palpable fear that coursed through the story and the lives of the characters, in the royal family especially. Laius, the King, feared being murdered by his son because of the oracle, he wanted to kill Oedipus upon his birth. Jocasta knew about the oracle and tried frantically to keep it a secret from Oedipus as well as the fact that she was his biological mother, she kept the secret unto death. Oedipus’ sad and tragic life in my opinion is a direct outcome of his parent’s misbehavior. He was abandoned and lied too about his true family lineage. He had an innate feeling that there was something unusual going on, but he could not understand what it was. He also admitted that “no one was as sick as him” and that his “spirit groans for the city and himself and the children of Cadmus. I imagine that it is important for us to recognize the various feelings that a tragic drama suggests in the characters and the audience feels. Like pity, sorrow, and misery because of the poor human conditions caused by the plagues, blight, and deadly pestilence as well as the premature judgment of Oedipus because it is easy to see him as prideful, or having false humility opposed to needing compassion and empathy. I think there is little beauty in the story of Oedipus, but the story is enhanced by old-world language and the ominous chorus. They help to dramatize the story and create feelings. I also believe that he became free when he learned the truth about himself and his family in the end and was able to purge himself of the devasting self-destructive emotions that impeded him from being his best self and overcome his parent’s deceptive behavior.
Lisa, your comments about the nature of the tragedy are very well expressed. Although you do not use the words “completeness” or “amplitude,” your response does show the wide-reaching effects of the tragedy, not only looking backward but also looking to the future for the children of Cadmus. I’m also struck with your comment about the juxtaposition of the ugliness of the story with the beautiful language used to tell it.
Thank you, Professor Conway, for your comments. I am truly inspired by this class.
Lisa, your comment is great but I think the part that you suggest that Jocasta knew that Oedipus is her son lacks evidence because the piercing in his knee must have been healed by the time he married Jocasta and the most that will be left from the piercing will be a shallow mark.And it also contradicts with the effort that Jocasta put to help him solve the murder of King Laius and I personally believe that her commit of suicide was out of the shocking truth that was revealed to her at the end.
Aristotle’s definition of tragedy fits perfectly with the story of king Oedipus. In this play there are a lot of examples that meet every part of Aristotle’s definition. For example, the story of a king from two royal families is a thing of high importance. The fact that the whole city of Thebes has to have a plague and live in fear because of what Oedipus did is an example of amplitude. The idea of completion is in the story of Jocasta who married the young man who killed her husband and kills herself later because of it. Aristotle’s idea of beautiful language is everywhere, such as when the priest says that the city is like a ship sinking into an ocean of blood. Everyone who reads this play will feel pity and fear.
Jiang Hua, your response reflects a good understanding of the facets of Aristotle’s definition. I think you could have expanded a bit on your observations though. The post falls a little short of length requirements.
OK thank you Professor Conway
The poetic Language was very expressing and it genuinely exemplifies what Aristotle verbalized that “Tragedy is an imitation of an action of high importance, complete and of some amplitude”. Reading the play I was bothered, why does the Deity have such a imprecated oracle upon King Laius and everybody that is cognate to him with Oedipus in the center of the tragedy. But probing for the story I found that King Laius’s actions brought this imprecation upon his own self, as it mentioned in the play that postmortem of Labdacus, Amphion and Zethus usurped the throne of Thebes and adolescent Laius was smuggled out of the city of Thebes, he was welcomed by Pelops King of Pisa. Later on, Laius abducted and ravished the King’s son and Laius is considered the first pedarastic ravisher. The play exemplifies the way the Greek society at that time were cerebrating how justice should be achieved by Deities on Earth, since laius commited a heinous sin then his imprecation is deserved. But thank god the archaic Greek writers are not running the justice system of the macrocosm because the people who suffered the most was not Laius, as he was the least sufferer but the most were the people of Thebes who suffered from the plague, Oedipus who became a symbol for tragedy, Jocasta and her two daughters. I visioned the main conception of the play as one of the early endeavors of mankind endeavoring to satiate his curiosity about the society of god and how it runs the world in order to achieve justice.
Hi Aiyah
I am Kannikar. I enjoy reading your comment very much. Oedipus really is the symbol of tragedy with Aristotle’s components. I feel the same thing when the Deity gave such an imprecated oracles to people in Corinth and Phobes. Especially, Oedipus’s wretchedness is the most tragedy that occur with the good man. Like us, sometimes life give us bad situation that is beyond our control. The truth is that we are human being that don’t need to be master in everything like Oedipus.
Aiyah, does your comment respond to the discussion prompt about Aristotle’s definition of tragedy and its application to this play?
Hi Professor Conway , yes my comment is in response to Aristotle’s definition of tragedy and how it applies in this play. I was very sympathetic with the character of the play Oedipus being the symbol of tragedy, so I tried to get to the roots of the oracle because I know that the Greek writers were always trying to reflect the justice system of the Gods in their play.
Aristotle’s definition of tragedy is a mixture of an excess of Good and an excess of Bad. Oedipus the King by Sophecles is a great example of Aristotle’s tragedy because acts out an extremely bad circumstance that happens to an extremely good man.
An imitation of an action : the Good is seen in the actions of Oedipus. Oedipus exemplifies a man who understands that his actions craft his reputation. As a result he solves the riddle of the sphinx, becoming a leader of the Thebes who places the safety of his citizens above his own self interests. These characteristics show a person who is excessively Good, a person who is admired by others.
Complete and of some amplitude : the second component of Aristotle’s tragedy comes in the form of an excess of the Bad. The Bad comes in the form of Oedipus’ circumstances, which Oedipus has no control over. His circumstance leads him to sleep with his own mother out of ignorance and stab his eyes out of shame toward his actions and ignorance. These unfortunate circumstances are so large that it not only damaged him, but also his mother Jocasta, a good person who commits suicide by the end of the play. Oedipus’ bad circumstance also ruins the reputation of his daughters Antigone and Colonus who know have to live a life that is damaged by the bad reputation of Oedipus.
Acted, not narrated : In original play, the actors perform in the fairground which it can be seen by the audiences on the stands. Moreover, the drama was enhanced by music and dance.
Language enhanced by beauty : The readers can feel the rhythm of the lines and hear the poetic majesty of the language. For example, the Chorus ’s point of view when the truth was going to light : “ Strophe If a man walks with haughtiness of hand or word and gives/ no heed to Justice/ and the shrines of Gods despises/—may an evil doom smite him for hiss/ ill-starred pride of heart!.
Pity and fear/purgation of emotion: I feel heartache at the end of Oedipus’s wretchedness, imposed by the God power. It’s unfortunately beyond human control. It can also apply In real life. Sometimes, we have to deal with a situation that is out of our control, such as Covid19.
Kannikar, I usually do not respond personally to posts submitted after Wednesday, but I did want to comment on your very thorough and clear discussion of the definition.
Thank you Professor Conway. It’s really great and timeless story.
Hi Kannikar
Jocasta actually wrote a very poor person she did nothing wrong, but she got punish by what His son and husband did. the only thing that I could say she did wrong is that she chosen a wrong person to married. She is also wrong that she’s not prudent when married the second time. If she checks the person, she married carefully then I think the tragedy could be a avoided. This actually give the humans warning.
Hi Kannikar
Jocasta actually was very poor a person she did nothing wrong, but she got punish by what His son and husband did. the only thing that I could say she did wrong is that she chosen a wrong person to married. She is also wrong that she’s not prudent when married the second time. If she checks the person, she married carefully then I think the tragedy could be a avoided. This actually give the humans warning.
Kannikar, Well expressed! Extremely bad circumstance that happens to extremely good man. Oedipus is a great leader and a very good person who is admired by his people. It’s very sad that he was very unfortunate to lose everything due to one mistake. Truly, this bad circumstance ruins his royal family and the children would have to live with that for the rest of their life.
Thank you.
Hi Kannikar!
I liked the way you outlined this, so clear, and straight to the point. There was good and bad to Oedipus. A great leader that cared and looked up to by his people, and yet it’s sad that he had to go through those circumstances that lead him to sleep with his mother, Jocasta, in which he made himself go blind. Sadly after that, it’s when all went downhill from there with his family.
You have done a great job in capturing and expressing exactly what has taken place in this play. It was great reading your comment, wish I read it earlier, it also clarified some things for me. However you have great insight to this play, the pain and turmoil that they experienced, the simplicity of the language. Very nice.
The story of King Oedipus is a perfect example of Aristotle’s definition of tragedy. Oedipus is a play that imitates the life of a royal family. It is of a high importance which can be seen in Oedipus, the King. A great leader and well respected. He saved the city from the tyranny of sphinx. Both biological and adopted parents are royalty. In order to prevent the prophecy from coming true, King Laius and his wife Jocasta got rid of their son, Oedipus. Oedipus who was also trying to avoid the same prophecy came to Thebes and unknowingly killed the father and married the mother. What a completion of a story. The amplitude of the story is seen in the plague on the city, Jocasta killing herself, Oedipus blinding himself and, the effects of Oedipus fate on the children and the whole royal family The chorus in the play is example of language enhanced which acted not narrated. The emotional tragic event in the story would make you feel pity and fear for the king who loses everything by trying to do a good thing.
Tragedy is an imitation of an action of high importance, complete and of some amplitude; in language enhanced by distinct and varying beauties; acted not narrated; by means of pity and fear effecting its purgation of these emotions.”
I find that the quote for the assignment, exactly fits the way Oedipus has been constructed. The fate of a kingdom, determined by the banishment of its adored king most definitely speaks to an action of high importance. Also, story isn’t just well written, but the writing style has very descriptive aspects to it, one that allows the reader to fully understand the weight and gravity of the circumstances within the tale. For example the quote “This you did
in virtue of no knowledge we could give you, in virtue of no teaching; it was God that aided you, men say, and you are held with God’s assistance to have saved our lives.”(Oedipus). This amongst many others helps me to understand just how important Oedipus was to the towns people and just how much defeating the sphinx greatly aided the people. As for pity and fear well we have definitely seen this in the King, when he speculates that he may in fact, be the one who needs to be banished. He almost acts in direct opposition to how we were first introduced, from one who seemed so caring and one of the people, he in turn behaves very cold and isolated from others. Which brings us to the purgation of these feelings. Once he fully finds out about his past and the prophecy he was told, he somehow reaches a sort of acceptance and no longer fought against his destiny. He takes ownership and accountability for his actions and deems himself less worthy to be in the kingdom or even see for that matter. Now blinded, Oedipus asks his friend to take him away…
Anthony, thank you for sharing your thoughts on the play. I agree that one of the great ironies of the play is Oedipus’ rise to the throne of Thebe as a result of trying to escape the horrible prophecy of his future. Had he ignored the prophecy and stayed in Corinth, he would have ascended to the throne of that city-state, and none of the events in Thebes would have befallen him. He saved the city of Thebes from the sphinx, only to plunge them into plague and then shame. It is an interesting twist of fate that when the multiple prophecies come full-circle, Oedipus becomes resigned to his fate. I am not sure if the motivation for this is taking ownership and accountability for his actions, or perhaps his realization that he cannot escape the prophecies.
Firstly, the tragedy exceeds the first criterion, an “action of high importance” because the main character, the protagonist, Oedipus, is a king born of Laius and Jocasta, and then adopted into yet another royal family. His actions are deeply impactful to his city and to everyone he associates with. The supporting characters are also in some fashion tied to the nobility and gods. Secondly, Oedipus the King satisfies the criterion of Aristotle’s tragedy “complete and of some amplitude.” The storyline is completed in a loop, all the ‘loose ends’ are tied together by the end of the play, with a clear and definite conclusion. The fates of the various characters intertwine and the audience begins to see them function together in a way that drives the plot that leads smoothly to the end. We are not left wondering what parts of the plot are missing; we get a chance to learn the truth from the “action” of the characters rather than through narration.
Additionally, the drama of the tragedy is amplified by vivid imagery told by the characters, notably by Oedipus, who presents long and dramatic speeches. Despite the best efforts the characters make to avoid the tragedy of the fates they were destined for, they are not able to escape, and their tragic ends seem even worse than the oracles they were originally told. There are no real villains in Oedipus the King and I think that is what makes it all the more tragic. The characters are more working against themselves than anything else, and have for the most part, good and genuine human intentions. The audience is left pitying the characters who were met with such tragic ends, as Aristotle stated “by means of pity and fear effects purgation of these emotions.”
Oedipus, in The King Oedipus by Sophocles, is a great example of Aristotle’s definition of tragedy. When it comes to the imitation of an action of high importance, Oedipus is a good king because he was committed to finding the truth and the cure that was affecting his people. He is also the only person who could solve the Sphinx’s riddle. The complete and of some amplitude, is Oedipus not knowing that he fathered children with his mom, Jocasta, Oedipus blinding himself, the aftermath with his royal family, like Jocasta hanging herself, and the plague of the city. The acted not narrated is by the chorus, they comment on the play’s action, they also play a role as a peacemaker, and they also implanted the sense of fear or suspense in the audience. The pity and fear are Oedipus not recognizing the truth and stubbornly refuses to believe Teiresias’s warnings.
Christie, I think it’s really important you pointed out that Oedipus was a great and just king. His ability to solve the sphinx’s riddle show his wits and willingness to help people he didn’t really know. I think him blinding himself shows his guilt and humility for his family turmoil. I agree with you on Oedipus being stubborn. His refusal to believe the messenger’s warning was paramount to showing his fear of the prophecy he was running from. Your thoughts on this tragedy are really interesting and I appreciate your ideas.
Aristotle referred to Oedipus as the image of tragedy which suits him quite well. Laius and Oedipus fear being murdered by Jocasta due to the oracle. In the play, the role of high importance is held by the king of Thebes as every decision made can affect the city and their way of living. As I continued to look into the play the language used uses a somber tone where the readers are able to feel the emotions of each character, using a poetic composition to describe the issues faced. As pity and fear are seen through the play Oedipus faces many conditions where he is unable to be in control of his faith, resulting in him fearing his possible death.
Jisarella, please be sure that comments meet the length requirements.
Aristotle defines dramatic tragedy in few ways. These definitions are a completely represented in the play “Oedipus the King”.
Tragedy is and imitation of an action of high importance: “Oedipus the King” is an imitation of life and action. The actions of every character have an importance to the entire plot of the story, and the life Oedipus who overall fate is twisted into a web of tragedy. Oedipus was a strong man born into a prominent family. As a young man his wits and strength helped him defeat the Sphinx that was plaguing the city of Thebes, which the people made him their king. As we have read in the story, all of the character’s individual actions have great important to the lively hood of the city. To each individual, the actions they may have been portrayed was never intended to bring a curse upon the city Thebes. Ironically, everything comes back full circle.
Aristotle says tragedy is complete and of some amplitude. This is interesting because the way the tragedy of the story come back to the characters in the most ironic way. The reasons that brought Oedipus to Thebes will turn out to be the same tragic daemon he and the rest of the characters will have to face. This is amplified by the far-reaching effects of the Oedipus’s action, affecting all in his circle. Jocasta Oedipus’s wife and mother is also a victim of the decisions that were made but affected in the most tragic way.
Language enhanced by beauty; acted not narrated: This play is acted out by the characters of the story. Even when preformed, the characters wore mask and dressed in garments to give the characters life and dynamic range to emphasize the plot of the story. The language of the play was poetic and graceful which also added to the dramatic story line.
Pity and fear effecting its purgation of these emotions: Throughout the story, I have grown to pity the Characters. Oedipus is a victim of several event that wasn’t necessarily his doing, and because of that the affects rolled down hill to his children and also the inhabitants of Thebes. Jocasta was victim as well, which she took her own life due to shame and guilt. I pity Oedipus, his entire life he was running from the same thing he unknowingly was preordained to do. Creon was also affected; he has to now assume the role of king of Thebes and didn’t want that type of responsibility.
Tragedy is important in the story of Oedipus because it defines his story, what he has been through. “Acted not narrated” as it says, Oedipus went through tragedy since the day he was born until the end he was cursed. “an action of high importance, complete, and of some amplitude…” Each of these are shown throughout the story of how he was betrayed by his own family and destiny. As a baby he was given away, then ended up killing his own father he did not know about and then his mother ending up as his wife. It is shown through each meaning every single time he thought that he made it or was doing better, leaving his other parents trying to do the right thing by them. Like I mentioned earlier his actions and entire life story is such a tragedy because he was destined for it. No matter what Oedipus did he could not escape it, it didn’t matter that he was good and tried to protect his family and people once he became king, you can’t escape when you’re destined for tragedy.
Florijana, I think it is interesting how you explained the importance in a different way than simply being nobility, that all of the things that happened to him had importance and gave the play action through dialogue and acting it out. However, I wonder if that is what Aristotle meant by acts of great importance. I think it is still important that he was a king and affected great quantities of people. I definitely agree it is a true tragedy in the sense that Oedipus continually makes extensive effort to do the right thing for those around him but is still unable to escape his fate. Throughout, tragedy is the main goal of the plot and everything leads toward the impending tragic end.
According to Aristotle, Oedipus has all the ingredients that a tragic hero must have. Oedipus is a highly important man socially since he is the king of Thebes, he is also an intelligent person (he solved the riddles of Sphinx). Furthermore, the tragedy is said to have completeness which means moving in a flow like a sequence. All the incidents happened one after the other, each action leading to another action without any outside interference. For instance, it started with the plague in Thebes then finding the assassin then the suicide of Jocasta and Oedipus own destruction. Another element to be a tragic hero is that, the character must not be too good nor very bad either. Oedipus was a smart man but at the same time he was arrogant and over-confident. For instance, when he says in the play “You pray to the gods? Let me grant your prayers”(245). Although Oedipus had many flaws, however this tragedy arouses emotions of pity or fear in the audience due to watching Oedipus terrible fate.
Mehedi, does your answer address the definition of Aristotle?