Sophocles uses the downfall of a tragic character to produce fear and pity in the audience
This is refered to as catharsis and according to Aristotle it is the goal of the entire tragedy.
Catharsis is defined as the purification and purgation of emotions. Particularly pity and fear. Through art or any extreme change in emotion that results in renewal and restoration. It is a metaphor originally employed by Aristotle in the Poetics, which compares the impact of tragedy on the mind of a spectator to the effect of a cathartic on the body
