Theater at Epidaurus

Sophocles’ Oedipus the King 2

“Know Thyself!” — If you Dare!

Sophocles in old age

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Agenda

• Recap, Update• Discussion

– Aristotle on Oedipus…

• Sweet Dreams– Eros and the Tyrant

• Illumination, Purification– Rites of Passage, Scapegoat

• Final Thoughts– Is Oedipus to Blame?

Recap, Update

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Kinship Network…

• Tiresias• Chorus of Citizens

Oedipus and the Sphinx

Laius (deceased) = Jocasta Creon

Menoecius

Antigone Ismene Polynices Eteocles

Oedipus=

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

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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

– no. didn’t do anything wrong!– apollo’s justice

• tragic cycle– connection between events

• tragic knowledge• tragic epiphany

Further thoughts?• hearing the prophecy – how

matters

Discussion

Aristotle on Oedipus…

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Aristotle on OK as Tragedy…

• Does Ari get it right?– How?– How not?

• Needs…– supplementing?– other approaches?

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Discussion…• was ok. basically given

full marks– good way to look at oed

• good example– realization – anagnoris -

should have come earlier• two match up

– general plausibility• peripeteia & anagnorsis

• every character pursuing plausibly motivated agenda– you need to connect with

characters• pity – oed pitiful (both

good and bad way)• sort of good example

– corinth kingship – good or bad fortune

• foreshadowing• right for most part

– did not imitate life

Sweet Dreams

Eros and the Tyrant

Quotes:

“Pride (hubris) breeds the tyrant”(Chorus, OK p. 209)

“Many a man before you, in his dreams, has shared his mother’s bed.”

(OK, Jocasta to Oedipus, p. 215)

“The previous night Hippias [ex-tyrant, hopeful future tyrant of

Athens] had a dream in which he slept with his mother. He supposed from the dream that he would return from exile to Athens, recover his rule, and end his days an old man

in his own country” (Herodotus 6.107.1-2)

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Illumination, Purification

Rites of Passage, Scapegoat

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Oedipus-pharmakos (“scapegoat”)

Oedipus, p. 244:

“Quickly, for the love of god, hide me somewhere, kill me, hurl me into the sea where you can never look on me again.”

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Rite of Passage

1. Separation

2. Transition

3. Incorporation

Arnold van Gennep, Les rites de passage (Paris, 1909)

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Oedipus’ Reverse Rite of Passage

1. Incorporation

2. Transition

3. Separation

sight-ignorance-incorporation

blindness-knowledge-separation

Oedipus

transition

“I count myself the son of Chance,”

(Oedipus, p. 224)

Final Thoughts

Is Oedipus to Blame?

Apollo, friends, friends, Apollo -he ordained my agonies — these, my pains on pains!

But the hand that struck my eyes was mine,mine alone — no one else —

I did it all myself!(Oedipus, OK p. 241)

aitia responsibility/guilttukhē fortune/chancemoira fate

Is Oedipus to Blame?

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