How does the play Oedipus the King provide a catharsis? What action in the play best displays catharsis?

, one of the
elements of , according to Aristotle, is not so much an element of the play itself as it is the
effect on the audience.  Meaning cleansing, a catharthis is an emotional, social, and
psychological change that the audience undergoes as they follow the plot and character
development to a conclusion.  The tragedy begins in media res, as the sorry
condition of Thebes is described, through some unknown cause, a punishment from the gods who are
dissatisfied with something out of balance in the community.  As
the story unfolds and we learn, through various dramatic devices, that the imbalance was caused
initially by trying to avoid the prophecy (thatwould kill his father), and the playing out of
the events leading to his marrying his mother, as we witness the plays developments, we as an
audience (and especially as a social community) want to come back to a balance.  This occurs at
theof the play, and the audience gets a catharsis, a cleansing or return to balance and to
favor in the gods eyes once again.