The philosopher Aristotle held up Sophocles’ Oedipus the King as the greatest example of the tragic play, or tragedy.  There are several important aspects that define a play as a “tragedy”, but two of the most significant are peripeteia (reversal) and pathos (pity or sorrow).  More specifically, peripetia refers to a complete reversal of fortune for the tragic hero from the beginning of the play to the end—starting off as a confident king and ending up as a homeless exile; pathos is the sorrow or pity the audience feels because of a destructive action that leads to suffering.

Why is it, do you think, that both peripetia and pathos are essential to a tragedy; use specific examples from Sophocles’ Oedipus the King to support your points.