The Poetics by Aristotle is one of the earliest works of literary theory or dramatic theory. Composed between 330 and 350BC, Aristotle's Poetics is a treatise on Greek Tragedy and theatre which examines how the narrative structure of Greek plays such as the Oresteia by Aeschylus or Oedipus Rex by Sophocles brings about catharsis (or katharsis) in an audience.