Catharsis is “Aristotle’s term for the emotional reaction or ‘purgation’ that takes place in an audience watching a tragedy” (Kirszner and Mandell G2). Pity and fear are examples of emotional reactions from the audience when watching a tragedy. “Oedipus the King,” written by Sophocles, provides catharsis in the play to evoke an emotional response in the audience. The catharsis follows the events related to the unfolding, true fate of Oedipus.
Oedipus gains sight of his tragic story when he learns that he killed his father and married his mother. After the truth was revealed, Jocasta, the mother and lover of Oedipus, committed suicide. When Oedipus discovers his fate and how it will affect the people of Thebes, feelings of sorrow and embarrassment
