Oedipus is the ideal tragedy according to the definition offered by Aristotle in Poetics. Literature: American Literature

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Oedipus is the ideal tragedy according to the definition offered by Aristotle in Poetics. Oedipus is king of Thebes. Oedipus's plot has a beginning, middle and end. The characters help the plot flow smoothly. He saves the people of Thebes from the creature that tortured them. He worked to hard to give the people what they want. Oedipus was high ranking, well liked and suffered a defeat due to a character flaw.

Oedipus has a complete plot that creates a cause and effect chain. That cause and effect chain clearly reveals that events that will happen. For example when king Laius went to see the oracular. She told him that his son would kill him and that his son would marry his wife. After that information is proved, one can guess that Laius will give up his son or have him killed. In the play Oedipus is sent with someone to be killed.

The man doesn't kill him and he is found and adopted by the King of Corinth.

After a visit to see an oracular he leaves Corinth because he was told the same thing that Laius was told. He ended up in Thebes after killing Laius., a king less place. When he got there a monster that looked like a bird and lion like creature was killing the people. Oedipus freed Thebes from the Sphinx by solving her riddle; something nobody else had been able to do. The priest in the first scene of Act I calls Oedipus "our greatest power" and describes him as rated first among men. Oedipus had a lot to lose because he was Prince of Corinth. Also the people of Thebes made him king because he saved them from Sphinx. He had a family. More importantly he had his...