Plot construction in Oedipus Rex – a classic use of the Freytag’s pyramid

The plot of Oedipus the king is so remarkable that the drama has been called one of the most perfect dramas in terms of plot construction . Aristotle , in his book Poetics , says ; plot is the most important factor of a tragedy . This play depicts the story of a king who is brought down by unforseen consequences of his own path . Each incident in the play is a part of a tightly constructed cause-and-effect chain , which successfully fulfills the requirements for the ‘ unity of action ‘ of the play .

The play follows a narrative summed up by the German novelist Gustav Freytag in his pyramid . In the ‘ exposition ‘ part we get to see the pathetic condition of the people of Thebes and Oedipus’ adamant wish to save his city from the grasp of the deadly plague . The exposition is followed by the second important factor , that is the ‘ rise in action ‘ . The confrontation between Oedipus and Creon , the intervention and persuasion by Jocasta and the dialogue between the King and the Queen can be found under this segment . The ‘ climax ‘ of the play shows the real identity of Oedipus . In this portion all the questions raised in the previous act find a fitting solution . In the last segment , that is , the ‘ Denouement ‘ we get to see how the Queen commits suicide and Oedipus , devastated , blinds himself .

Again one can feel the presence of a closely knit structure of a tragedy in this play . The presence of a condensed and compact plot without any digression is also an important factor of this tragedy .

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