Oedipus the King and his Importance to Religious Festivals Essay

Oedipus the King and his Importance to Religious Festivals - Essay Example Oedipus the King and his Importance to Religious Festivals Despite the plethora of gods the ancient Greeks had to choose from in terms of whom they wished to worship, there were two major cults that had tremendous influence over all the rest. These were the Dionysians and the Apollonians. In general terms, the Apollonian revered analytic distinctions, unique individuality and rational thought – anything that was structured and made sharp distinctions (Kreis, 2004). Dionysus, on the other hand, was associated with the concepts of drunkenness and wild abandon, the creativity of nature and the abandonment of the individual in favor of becoming lost in the whole (Kreis, 2004). Although these concepts seem diametrically opposed, they actually tend to represent the two sides of human nature and are thus both necessary in any examination into the motivations and activities of any individual. Tragedies such as Oedipus the King, through its use of the various elements of tragedy identified by Aristotle, helped illustrate the values of each of these religious traditions and clarify the need for both in order to live a happy, healthy, successful life. Much of Greek tragedy follows a consistent pattern that was once identified specifically by one eloquent orator. According to Aristotle, every tragedy is structured around five key events. These include mimesis, hamartia, anagnorisis, peripeteia and catharsis. Aristotle said all poetry was a form of imitation of real life. â€Å"Aristotle imagines that poetry springs from a basic human delight in mimicry.