Oedipus the King by Sophocles

This week, we tackled Oedipus the King in class in a way that was a little different from how we discussed during high school. Back then, we discussed the story by the five elements of the plot; introduction, rising action, climax, falling action, and denouement. This time though, we discussed the play by Aristotle's elements of a good tragedy. In this case, we were able to point out the minemesis, catharsis, hamartia and the peripeteia. With that said, I would like to now move further to an analysis on the significant parts of the play.

Firstly, the play started with the people of the kingdom rallying for the salvation of their crops from the king, which is Oedipus. It was determined in class that the style of the narrative resembled that of a detective/crime story (think Sherlock Holmes), being that it started with the problem until it uncovered the circumstances that added up to the problem of the dwindling supply of good crops. 
Second, the events that lead to the solution of the crop problem. When Oedipus sent his brother-in-law to find out why there was a problem with the crops, Creon comes back to relay that the killer of King Laius, the king before Oedipus helped the kingdom break free from a curse, had to be found and exiled. Oedipus then calls out for another hermit to help determine who the killer was. When confronted, the messenger/hermit starts with that he'd rather not say who the killer was. Since Oedipus had a tragic hero flaw of pride, selfishness and impatience, he forced the messenger to say who it was. The messenger claims that the killer was Oedipus. He gets furious and accuses Creon of wanting to usurp the crown. Creon, then logically counteracts this statement by saying that he does not need to seize the the title of being king because being a brother-in-law of the king gives him almost the same amount of nobility and also he wouldn't want it because the problems of the kingdom will be passed on to him. 
Third, Oedipus finds out the conditions that lead to the fulfilment of the prophecy. The prophecy is that King Lauis and Queen Jocasta will bear a son that will kill his own father and to wed his own mother. In the events, Oedipus then finds out that this prophecy already came true when he killed his biological father in a road rage of sorts. Then he has already married his own mother after ridding the kingdom from the Sphinx by answering a riddle, which makes him the reason of the plague of the crops. 

The play constantly puts the character's tendencies of wanting to save people to be heroic and the character's tragic flaw that is being impatient and proud. According to Aristotle, that element makes up a good tragedy. Another element of a good tragedy is a character's descent from a good life to vulnerability and vice versa. In this case, Oedipus was king and then the discovery of the fulfilment of the prophecy took place.