Sophocles - Oedipus Journal # 5

How does Sophocles evoke fear and pity in the reader/audience and what significance does this have?

Sophocles envokes fear and pity on the reader throught the structure fo the play and by his use of the readers knowlodge of the story. In Oedipus by revealing the prophecy first and having Oedipus being so defient of it it helps envoke pity in the audience. The audience know tht Oedipus is going to cause his own downfall but Sophocles add the element of Oedipus causing his downfall why the audience watches him and know what he is doing. Sophocles also use the audience's knowledge to envoke fear in them. The audience knows Oedipus fate and Sophocles plays on that by revealing that Oedipus struggles to escape the prophecy is what actually leads to him fullfiling it. It creates a fear that by trying to avoid a situation we might actually help cause it and this envokes fear in the audience.