Oedipus as a Tragedy by Aristotle’s Definition A tragedy by definition is “a drama which recounts an important and casually related series of events in the life of a person of significance, such events culminating in an unhappy catastrophe, the whole treated with great dignity and seriousness”. The Greek tragedies are plays based on myths which were well known and enjoyed by audiences. Most of the plays encompassed certain elements that Aristotle identified in …showed first 75 words of 605 total…

…showed last 75 words of 605 total…probably did inspire the audience to live a better life. The play is written in the formal style of a poetry. In conclusion, Oedipus the King follows all of the characteristics of a tragedy by Aristotle’s definition. Including the fact that a tragedy uses direct action to recount a myth rather than a narrative voice. Finally, the end of the action is clearly unhappy which is probably the most important element of all tragedies.