The story of Oedipus and his prophecy have intrigued not only ancient Greek citizens, but also people around the world for several generations. Most notable about the play was its distinctive structure, leading the audience to think analytically about the results of Oedipus's actions and how they compare to Aristotle's beliefs. Another way people have examined the drama is to examine the paradoxes (like the confrontation of Tiresias and Oedipus), symbols (like the Sphinx), and morals that affected their perceptions at the end of the play. Nonetheless, the most important aspect is the relevance of the story and how it has influenced modern ideas like that of Freud and others today. As written in The Poetics, Aristotle describes the aspects that a play must contain for it to be considered a tragedy. In his own words, he indicates that a play should be serious and artistic in its language; in the form of action, not story; and that there should be no digressions, "creating pity and fear causing purgation (catharsis) of such emotions" (Walton). Therefore, based on Aristotle's definition of a Greek tragedy, does the drama Oedipus Rex meet the requirements? Surprisingly, Aristotle himself believed that the play truly demonstrated the idea of ​​a tragedy. In fact, “Aristotle considered [the play to be] a supreme example of tragic drama and modeled his theory of tragedy on it” (Weigel). Aspects of the play that met the definition of a tragedy were that it lacked comedy of any kind and that the play itself was in continuous action. Additionally, Sophocles structured the play beautifully by combining metaphors, symbolisms, and paradoxes that allowed the play to be against...... middle of paper ...... Knowledge. " The Classical Journal 64.8 (1969): 337 -45. Web. May 2, 2014. Freud, Sigmund. “Dreams about the death of a beloved person”. The interpretation of dreams. , Sofie. “Oedipus had- "Aristotle: Overview of World Literature." , 1995. Literature Resource Center Web May 5, 2014. Walton, J. Michael: Overview of World Literature ed. New York: St. James Press, 1995. Literature Resource Center Web May 2, 2014. Weigel, Jr., James « Oedipus Tyrannus”, fourth edition (2010): 1-3. MagillOnLiterature Plus. 2014.