Medea vs Oedipus on catharsis

The plays Medea and Oedipus are both examples of tragety because of their seperate use of cathersis, the downfall of power figures, and the fact that the play deals with the idea of fate.

In both medea and Oedipus the King, there is a systematic build of emotion followed by a purge of the same emotional energy. In the begining of the book, the audience feels that Oedipus is a kind person and feels that he is the more rightious charicter in the play as he speaks about his people, "I grieve for these, my people"(pg 163). yet at the end of the book, because of his actions and what he has done, we feel almost sorry for him. Especially since he has taken all the blame and punished himslef by gouging his eyes out. Medea uses cathardic elements in order to evoke anger from medeas actions when the audience once felt sorrow for her and her loss.
The two plays also involve a downfall in the main charicter in some way, the key difference between the two plays is the way the two charicters loose there power or influance. in Oedipus, he looses power through learning that he is the plauge of his city, and that he is the one to be blamed. In his seat of power he accused Creon of going against him, but in the end Creon emerges innocent after the events of the play unfold and has power over Oedipus because of what has been learned, and because of what Oedipus did as self punishment. Medea looses power in a way, because her credibility has been tarnished among the people of greece. She began as a charicter to feel sorry for because she had been hurt by her husband and childbearer Jason, which made the audience feel sorrow for her. however, in the end she killed her children, and posined Jasons fionce and her father. in doing this, she riled up the city and Jason, and has been lowerd in power.
Fate is discussed in both plays. Oedipus toys with fate in a more evident way than Medea becuase in the end, after all this attempt to defy the prophisy made by the Gods, the terrible tragety of Oedipus still occured. this means that the primary meaning in Oedipus is that fate is somthing that cannot be prevented. Medea plays with the idea of fate in a different fashion. the Creon in Medea as well as Jason both do there best to make sure Medea doesent end up doing somthing rash, by trying to appease her and trying to make her leave the land even though they know it will probily happen. they cannot defy the prediction that medea will do somthing rash, and she does making the idea of fate evedent and enevitable.