Drama in Sophocles' Oedipus Tyrannus

Abstract

To appreciate a dramatist's skill one should keep one's finger on the pulse of the audience. For whatever may be his further purpose, his success in achieving it depends upon the success of his drama as a drama, and that upon its immediate effect on the audience's feelings. He must express his purpose in a story told in the language of his theatre, that is, through a performance that tells it clearly, convincingly, and arrestingly, to those particular spectators. These qualities are all essential to dramatic success; clarity and convincingness are necessary conditions, the arresting power is the artistic end.