Oedipus 8

Argumentative Paragraph Oedipus
According to Aristotle Poetics, Oedipus the King is a great example of a tragedy. Aristotle explains that there are three key things that make up a greek tragedy. The three that he refers to are "Reversal of Situation", "Recognition", and a "Scene of Suffering" and the story of Oedipus the King contains all three of those. Aristotle defines "Reversal of Situation" as a change by which the action veers round to its opposite, subject always to our rule of probability or necessity (Aristotle, 199). In Oedipus' story, he has just that. Oedipus was on the search for the murderer of King Lauis to releave the plague that was set on his kingdom. It was not until Tiresius began accusing him of the murder "...the curse you made just now was made against yourself!" (Oedipus, 17) that he began to put himself as the possible murderer of King Lauis. The blame first being set on the people in his kingdom, then being put on him himself. Aristotle's second key part of a tragedy was "Recognition". Recognition is a change from ignorance to knowledge, producing love or hate between the persons destined by the poet for good or bad fortune (Aristotle, 199). After several explainations from several different people, Oedipus finally come to realize the horrors he commits "Enough, Enough! it's clear to me at last. I know my fathers name, and who i married!" (Oedipus, 44). Oedipus puts all the pieces together and finally discovers that he has fallen into the fate that he is destined to have, killing his father, marrying his mother, and having children with her. The third and final requirement to make a greek tragedy is a "Scene of Suffering". The Scene of Suffering is a scene that is a distructive or painful action, such as death on the stage and bodily agony (Aristotle, 199). In the story of Oedipus the King, Oedipus feels so guilty and disgusted of the things that has done, that he feels that he does not deserve to look into the eyes of the beautiful...