Theater at Epidaurus

Sophocles’ Oedipus the King 1

“Know Thyself!” — If you Dare!

Sophocles in old age

12-Mar 2

Critical Thinking Rubric

• Evidence-based argument?• Logic-based argument?• Open-minded argument?• Communicable argument?• Plausible argument?• Productive argument?

Delphi

“Know thyself!”

12-Mar 3

New Question

Do Sophocles’ “Theban Plays” (Antigone, Oedipus the King, Oedipus at Colonus) shift moral responsibility

from human beings to fate / the gods?

12-Mar 4

aitia responsibility/guilttukhē fortune/chancemoira fate

12-Mar 5

Agenda

• Play Facts• Aeschylean Tragedy

– Is Sophocles’ OK One So Far?

• Agōn 2: Oedipus v. Creon– Character, Thought, Speech, Action

Play Facts

12-Mar 7

Sophocles, “Theban Plays”

• Playwright– ca. 496-ca. 406 BCE– first victory 468

• “Theban Plays”– Antigone, ca. 441– Oedipus the King, ca. 429– Oedipus at Colonus, ca. 406

SophoclesSophocles

12-Mar 8

Oedipus Family, Backstory

• Tiresias• Chorus of Citizens

Oedipus and the Sphinx

Laius (deceased) = Jocasta = Oedipus Creon

Menoecius

Antigone Ismene Polynices Eteocles

?

OK Analysis(Penguin page numbers)

• prologue 15 ff.– Oed, priest, Creon. plague, oracle

• parodos 168 ff.– divine invocation. war on plague

• 1st episode 171 ff.– Oed, Tiresias. agōn 1

• 1st stasimon 186 f.– who the killer?

• 2nd episode 188 ff.– Cr, Oed. agōn 2– 1st kommos (197 ff.)

» Chorus, J, Oed

– Comparison of oracles• 2nd stasimon 209 f.

– pride breeds the tyrant

• 3rd episode 211 ff.– J, Corinthian messenger, Oed.

Polybus dead. Oed “child of fortune”

• 3rd stasimon 224– desperate optimism

• 4th episode 225 ff.– Oed, Shepherd, J. recognition

• 4th stasimon 233 f.– Oed man of sorrows

• exodos– Messenger, Oed. J’s suicide– 2nd kommos (240 ff.)

» Chorus, Oed., Oed’s grief

– Oed, Creon. final arrangements

12-Mar 10

Aeschylean Tragedy

Is Sophocles’ OK One So Far?

12-Mar 12

Aeschylean Tragedy Checklist…Analytical concepts• koros

– Laius as implicated in koros?

– Od• hubris

– Od disbelieves insults T• atē

– disabelief (Oed’s disbelief – e.g. w/ J)

• dikē• tragic cycle• tragic knowledge• tragic epiphany

Further thoughts?• [comment]

Agōn 2: Oedipus v. Creon

Character, Thought, Speech, Action

12-Mar 14

Why shouldn’t Oedipus suspect Creon?

12-Mar 15

Oedipus/Creon: Your Reactions• trying to make sense of

situation– not justified, but

understandable as emotional response

– creon does good• oed feel threatened

– human response– creon does good defense

• creon’s arg not believable– 2nd to king?? suspicious

• argument limited– human nature – ambition,

closeness to power

• creon makes a plausible argument– creon’s talking him – not

dialectic– should have waited

• oed may already be self-suspecting

• both getting heated– creon provocative in his

unsatisfactory responses to oed asking about earlier inveasigation

• cr and t is prime suspect circumstantially