Wednesday, 20 August 2008

Why is Oedipus Rex considered to have a complex plot?

The
play's plot is complex in that it doesn't follow a precise linear pattern. We might expect this
to be something like the ancient Greek equivalent of a detective story, withsetting out to find
his father's real killer only to discover, in a shocking twist, that he was the murderer all
along.

But the actual plot of is so much more
complexand dramaticthan this. And this is largely down to the peripeteia,
or reversal of fortune, provided by the , who brings news that Polybus and Merope were not
Oedipus's real parents. The messenger thinks he's being helpful, but in actual fact he's
providing the catalyst for the shocking revelation to follow.

What
is...

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