We pity Oedipus’ decline because, except for one or two faults, he is basically a good man. The spectator can still empathize with the hero because he is not an unregenerate figure. The flaw is both individual and social – an undesirable element that would lead a person to go against the laws of land. Aristotle’s term for this is catharsis: the spectator should be purged of undesirable elements that prevent his happiness.
Because the spectator empathizes with the protagonist, he will be led to recognize his own tragic flaw whatever that may be – and he will want to root it out so that he does not end in the same way as the fallen hero.
This isn’t the happiest of endings so, what’s the aim of tragedy? To teach you how to be a better person.
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