According to The New dictionary of Cultural Literacy, "Tragedy originated in ancient Greece in the works of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides." Sophocles, a younger contemporary of Aeschylus and older contemporary of Euripides, wrote seven successful tragedies consecutively. His works include Ajax, Electra, Oedipus at Colona, and Oedipus the King. The final is the work considered to be of the tragic genre. According to Aristotle, four main factors are present in a Greek tragedy. A protagonist, who is someone of "great or heroic stature", has a present foible that will play a role in the "tragic fall" of that character. In this plummet, the Greek gods will be partially responsible. Throughout this tale, Sophocles prominently displays these traits through the key character, Oedipus. By exemplifying these elements, the title of Greek tragedy, truly befits Oedipus the King.

In the beginning of this work, Oedipus exhibits himself as a person...