Sophocles Use Of Tragedy In Greek Theater

Tragedy in Greek theater In Greek theatre, tragedy is one of the most powerful forms of emotional amplification among playwrights and actors. Since the first play was written, tragedy has been used to bring the audience closer to the play, giving them a sense of connection to the characters or the story. Tragedy is a highly desirable trait among plays now, as it was Sophocles’ time. In Oedipus there is a very real relationship presented when you start to get more clues as to what actually happened to Laius and what is going to become of Oedipus; near perfect examples of the use of tragedy to keep the readers interested. The term tragedy was coined in the 5th century by the Greeks of Attica as a certain type of play that was sponsored by the government. The Greeks at that time took their theater very seriously, including forms of theater we use today such as
In one of Oedipus’ more famous lines “O god-all come true, all burst to light! O light-now let me look my last on you! I stand revealed at last-cursed in my birth, cursed in marriage, cursed in the lives I cut down with these hands!" it is only after he discovers that his very own existence is cursed that he says this. Along with the previous tragic quote, in chapter 3 Oedipus is still suspicious of Creon’s intentions which are quite clear in the following. "Creon, the soul of trust, my loyal friend from the start steals against me... so hungry to overthrow me he sets this wizard on me, this scheming quack, this fortune-teller peddling lies, eyes peeled for his own profit--seer blind in his craft!" Finally in one of the most tragic quotes Oedipus tells the chorus. "You pray to the gods? Let me grant your prayers." This quote is exemplary of tragedy because of how much it foreshadows the unpleasant future the temporary king has in store for