According to Aristotle, Oedipus the King was the perfect example of a Greek tragedy. It has all of the necessary components as discussed in his critical writing, Poetics. Aristotle felt that the purpose of a tragedy was to invoke pity and fear upon the viewers. This was done by using four main techniques; hamartia, peripeteia, anagnorisis, and catharsis. The techniques described by Aristotle are clearly displayed throughout the Oedipus the King to evoke pity and fear upon the audience.
As the play progresses, the hamartia, or error in judgment can be spotted, although only the viewers are aware of this. Since the audience already knows the ending to the play, the hamartia is easily seen. Every protagonist in a tragedy has the flaws, or else the play wouldn't end up in a dismal situation. In Oedipus the King, the blindness and hubris of Oedipus lead him to making his important mistakes. When Oedipus has a conversation with Teiresias, he refuses to accept the burden of his prophecy. Also, he does not make any conclusions from what is before him. His wife is quite older than him, and in his past, he had killed a man at an intersection. These traits make the audience feel a few ways. They want to tell him to open his eyes, but they also feel bad for him because of the unfortunate truths. .
After many events have taken place leading to the climax, all of the pieces of the puzzle come together for the protagonist. Aristotle made two terms defining this moment, peripeteia and anagnorisis. They mean recognition and reversal. They can go together because most of the time when someone realizes something, their view upon it will change, or reverse. The scenario in this play is when the messenger tells Oedipus that Polybus and Merope weren't his real parents. After some questioning, Oedipus unfortunately discovers that he killed his father, and married his mother. This is another example of how pity and fear are seen in the play.
