Why did Aristotle praise Sophocles’ Oedipus the King in the Poetics?

In his Poetics, Aristotle frequently cites Sophocles’ Oedipus the King as a masterpiece of construction and the paradigm of a perfect tragedy. Aristotle praised the play primarily for its structural excellence, which he believed was the most important element of tragedy.123

Key reasons for his praise include:

• Plot Structure: Aristotle considered the plot to be the soul of a tragedy. He admired how Sophocles organized incidents to create a coherent, suspenseful, and inexorable onrush toward the tragic catastrophe.41
• Effective Use of Reversal and Recognition: Aristotle highlighted the play’s masterful use of peripeteia (reversal of situation) and anagnorisis (recognition). He noted that these elements are most effective when they coincide, as they do when the messenger’s news—intended to relieve Oedipus—instead forces him to realize his true identity and the horror of his actions.51
• Catharsis: Aristotle viewed the play as a model for achieving catharsis, the purgation of the emotions of pity and fear in the audience, which he argued was the ultimate goal of tragedy.16