Cathardic elements

Medea and oedipus are similar in the sense that both heroes lose their prestigious reputations, they bring about their own fate, and pity is evoked for both heroes predicaments.

In both plays the heroes are royalty, who are renowned for certain skills or achievements. when this reputation is tarnished, the audience feels pity towards the character, who was once so great, reduced to shambles. it helps purge the audience of their pity, as Sophocles would have believed.

In Oedipus, he brings about the realization of the horrible truth, that he had killed his father and wedded his mother, because his fear and pride compelled him to pursue Laius's murderer. Medea's anguish and death threats towards Jason and his new bride have her banished from the land, forcing her hand to do the horrendous act she had been planning.

As stated previously, pity is evoked when seeing the prestigious and honorable people, ones the audience could aspire to become, reduced to the level of an exile and lowly murderer. Seeing Medea's anguish, when all she had done wrong was love blindly, makes the audience sympathize for her, since they have all done the same, and she received a far worse punishment.