Greek mythology and plays are often based on the evidence of calamitous and catastrophic epic poems, usually called tragedies. An archetypal tragedy is a disastrous work that directly follows the stages of a typical tragedy and induces a plot that revolves around a specific event aimed at one or more protagonists. An archetypal tragedy involves a protagonist who experiences the fulfillment of an ideal, fatal mistakes, realizations, and passionate intuitions. In Oedipus, an epic written by Sophocles, Oedipus becomes known as the protagonist with harmful circumstances transpiring around his fate. Sophocles introduces Oedipus as a tragic character by inducing arrogance and dramatic irony as key components of his downfall. Oedipus' arrogance can be directly related to his determination to find Lauis' killer due to his physical actions taken on other suspects, assuming he himself is not someone to add to the equation. Dramatic irony enhances Oedipus' search for truth and justice; these indications model the structure of a typical Greek tragedy. The use of dramatic irony in Oedipus forms a key component of an archetypal tragedy by offering the audience knowledge before the climax is reached. Sophocles develops the play with dramatic irony, introducing Oedipus' difficulties directly at the beginning: “Who knows, tomorrow this same murderer / may turn his bloody hands on me. / Laius' cause is therefore mine” (Sophocles 11). At this point in the story, Oedipus is well aware of Laius' disappearance, but does not know that he is the source of his explicit agony. Another example of dramatic irony influencing Sophocles' tragedy would be when Oedipus argues with Tiresias about the real murderer. Tiresias states: “I tell you this... halfway through the paper... transformed into a real tragedy. This incorporation of incidents induces a sense of apprehension, where the audience easily realizes Oedipus' fate and his lethal flaw. In fact, Oedipus' arrogance becomes an undeniable fact that influences the turn of events of the protagonists. Each institution of sanctimonious commentary seems to have an enormous effect on the structural shaping of the work itself. Many of the protagonist's feelings and recognitions seem to underline the stages expressed in a play or indicative plot. Sophocles was right in coaxing a more comprehensible exposition in which the audience knows the fateful future, and in doing so he successfully applies Oedipus' difficulties and weaknesses as an essential and vital part of an archetypal tragedy. Works Cited Sophocles. Oedipus the King. (translated by David Grene) Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1991.