Aristotle said in his famous Poetics: "A tragedy, then, is the imitation of an action that is serious...in a dramatic, not in a narrative form; with incidents arousing pity and fear, with which to accomplish its catharsis of such emotions..." Oedipus The King, relates fully to this extract. <Tab/>Considered to be among the most paradigmatic tragedies ever written, Oedipus the King, meets the five main criteria for a tragedy: …showed first 75 words of 1122 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1122 total…examples and quotations from Oedipus the King in Poetics. Aristotle classified and organized Sophocles' creation, dividing it into five components that from that day on are said to be the basis for all tragedies written. A tragic hero of noble birth, tragic flaw, a fall from grace, a moment of remorse, and catharsis are the makes of a good tragedy and it is safe to say that Sophocles invented this pattern and Aristotle organized it.