We have read many texts to this point in our AP Literature career, most of these texts were novels and poems and drama and plays were a rarity. The story of Edipus the king in particular is very similar in story as it relates to hamartia, catharsis, and pathos. The story is Things Fall Apart by chenua Achebe.
In the play Oedipus the king we find that the king Oedipus's hamartia is his arrogance, he feels that he is better than the citizens and feels that everything that is happening in his kingdom is felt more by him. Oedipus's arrogance and his insecurities in going after the person who murdered the Last king is something ended up being his down fall. He was unaware of the fact that he in truth was the murderer and that the prophecy had come true and his death was enevitable. This same situation happens in the novel Things Fall Apart. The warrior Okonknwo is heralded in the town of Umofia and it was felt that we would continue on with success however Okonkwo's stern demener proved to be the cause of his death and inability to accept the changes that were occuring in the village of Umofia.
With Catharsis in the play the realese of emotions come after we know all that has happened to the hero Oedipus. We the reader witness his arrogance prove to be his downfall, his bearing a child with his mother and her suicide, and his ultimate death after knowlege of the prophecy. After all of this we the reader feel pity for Oedipus and but we as well as Oedipus realize that it was because of himself that the situations occured and thus we accept it. The issue of Catharsis also is relevant in the novel Things Fall Apart. Much like the play we feel that Okonkwo's suicide was the result of his own doings and fallicies thus we feel for his death but accept it.
Pathos in the play is mostly the relinquishment of reason and basing decisions on emotion.
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