Journal 8

Compare the elements of tragedy in Medea and Oedipus. Look specifically at at the use of catharsis. Pay attention to how you organize your comparison. Be sure you start with a thesis/topic sentence.

Both Medea and Oedipus the King cause the audience to feel a deep pity for the main characters Medea and Oedipus. The audience feels pity for Oedipus because he does not realize that his horrible fate has come true, and the audience feels pity for Medea because her husband left her, and this caused her to kill his new bride, his bride's father, and Medea's two sons. She ended up losing everything she had left. Both characters ultimately bring about their own downfall. They are simply the victims of fate and free will. Oedipus' parents tried to avoid his fate of killing his father and marrying his mother, but theirs and Oedipus' free will led him to that fate. Medea's free will along with her fate led her to kill or lose every person she held dear. Both characters also seem to raise themselves above everyone else, contributing even more to the idea of tragedy.
Lastly, both characters are motivated by either pride or anger. This causes the audience to be fearful that these same emotions could motivate them to bring about their own downfall as well. The important part is that the audience is able to compare and relate themselves to the main characters.