Sophocles ' Oedipus The King

A kingdom cursed by the gods, doomed to die by famine and plague, in Sophocles’ play Oedipus the King, the people of Thebes and their king desperately cry out to the divine and beg for mercy and a way to end their agony. Finally, a glimmer of hope, a riddle that a prophet can solve, and the damned nation call to him for help. A directed scene of what plays out in Oedipus’ confrontation of the truth of his fate with Tiresias is covered in this document. The scene is set in its traditional form of ancient Greece but contains the contemporary English language of Robert Fagles’ translation so that modern audiences can more thoroughly understand and enjoy the content of the play while preserving the cultural charms of the time period. The background

The author of Oedipus, Sophocles, introduces a worthy rival to the main character Oedipus.Tiresias, who considers himself to be an equal to the Great King. Tiresias admits, “You are a king. But where the argument’s concerned // I am your man, as much as a king as you.// I am not your servant, but Apollo’s.”(Sophocles) While simultaneously trying to defend his honour and bring justice to Thebes, Oedipus argues about the integrity of Creon’s source. Tiresias retorts Oedipus’ impulsive accusations, in a studious, and King like manner.Tiresias’ diligent retaliation is dramatically significant because it develops Oedipus’ character; Oedipus is humanized and revered less as a God because of his flaws. The power dynamic shift causes the audience to become more judgemental of Oedipus since someone is holding him accountable for his behaviour. Additionally, the passage adds to the mystery of the plot and creates suspense, through Sophocles’ use of paradox, and imagery which cause the mood to change and creates a compelling story. Both of these elements cause the audience to pay attention to the drastic changes in character, and mood, to highlight the major theme of pride, power, and fate. Ultimately, the passage is intended to show the ignorance of Oedipus, and the awareness of Tiresias, who are symbols for the pervasiveness of fate.

“Now my curse on the murderer. Whoever he is, a lone man unknown in his crime - or one among many, let that man drag out his life in agony, step by painful step - I curse myself as well … if by any chance He proves to be an intimate of our house, Here at my hearth, with my full knowledge, May the curse I just called down on him strike me!”(p. 1137). Oedipus’s intense pride or hubris, and his steadfast determination to uncover the mystery of Laius’s murder ironically leads him to unwittingly curse himself.

Considered one of the greatest dramas of all time, Sophocles’ play Oedipus the King follows the tragic life of Oedipus, king of Thebes. Considered a Satyr play, the Oedipus trilogy is perhaps the most famous of Sophocles’ plays. Oedipus the King, is an Athenian tragedy that was first performed somewhere around 429 BC in Athens, Greece. Originally, the Greeks referred to the play as simply “Oedipus,” as that was what Aristotle referred to it as in the Poetics. Perhaps what makes this play so memorable, is Sophocles’ uses of the tragic hero as the main theme. Sophocles uses characterization and conflict to portray Oedipus as an Aristotelian tragic hero.

Sophocles has a harsh and tragic style. He is a master at dramatic tragedies and irony. Oedipus Rex is scattered with ironic and very tragic moments. He also uses the chorus as a way to comment on a subject in the play. Foreshadows using various methods. He also uses imagery, rhetoric questions and metaphors.

A chorus is a common element to Greek tragedy’s and in ancient theatre consisted of a group of people who provide a number of different contributions to a play, providing a historical perspective, acting as counsellors and advisors to the plays characters and at times representing various groups such as villagers or a jury. Within this essay, I will consider the main contributions of the chorus within “The Burial at Thebes”

Many people believe that fate has planned out their lives and despite efforts on their part what was meant to happen, will eventually happen. This belief has been handed down over the centuries from some of the first civilizations, such as the Greeks. However, not all Greek citizens wanted destiny to take control of their lives. Some decided to choose freewill over the will of the gods. In Oedipus the King, Sophocles writes a cautionary tale meant to warn the doubters in Greek society that regardless of their beliefs in gods and prophecies, it is necessary to heed their warnings. Oedipus, Jocasta, and Laius are Sophocles’ characters that prove that escaping one’s fate is not possible, as each of their predicted fates is realized despite extensive efforts to thwart them.

Greek tragedies Oedipus the King and Euripides’ Bacchae are both timeless stories in Greek literature. The engaging plot of both is what is most rememberable however the significance of the chorus is overlooked. The chorus can be defined simply as a group of dancers and singers that participate in dramas by singing poetically and lyrically in certain pauses of the play. The music, movements and gestures of the chorus symbolically define the mood and the themes of the play as the story line develops. The flow of Oedipus the King and Bacchae are dependent on the chorus, proving their significance.

It is wise to be careful of what you look for, because you might not like what you find. This would have been excellent advice for the main character in Sophocles drama, Oedipus the King. However, the drama was written as a result of Sophocles life and the influence of the humanistic culture in which he lived. Throughout Sophocles life, he gained military knowledge as the son of a wealthy armor manufacturer and received an excellent Greek education with emphasis on Homeric poetry (textbook). Furthermore, Sophocles was very involved in politics and served as a treasurer, a general, and inevitably as a member in a group for policy formation (textbook). Although Sophocles was deeply enmeshed with the political world of his time, his true calling in life was his writing of Greek tragedy, during the Golden Age movement of 477 B.C. to 431 B.C. (Berkhofer). Unsurprisingly, it is his portrayal of the Greek culture that has led to Sophocles unofficial title of the embodiment of Greek Spirit (Whitman, 4). Now, Sophocles’ Greek culture was humanistic and focused on the achievements of individuals, primarily their moral and psychological difficulties within the human experience. Although, philosophy and religion are a part of humanism, Sophocles demonstrated the political and social characteristics of ancient Greek humanism in his drama, Oedipus the Kings (Menning). Therefore, one can understand the life and humanistic culture of Sophocles through the illustration of the

Throughout the play the use of dramatic irony is used to a wide extent, adding to this is the use of realism, focusing on the words. We are introduced the chorus in the first Parodos, they all look fairly identical dressed in black and white symbolising knowledge and wisdom. Don Taylor has used the chorus very well in this version of Oedipus; they always seemed to be making distinctive sharp shapes and movements in order. The chorus are directly speaking to the Gods, visually portraying this by focusing on the heavens above when they spoke. Don Taylor modernises them to seem like jury, at the end of each episode reflecting upon the events happening. Their language and the way they are presented are fast pasted and have a very flowing rhythm.

In Sophocles’s Oedipus Rex, the Chorus alters its view of Oedipus from initially comparing and identifying him as a god and heroic leader to then realizing he induced the plague upon the city; moreover, the Chorus eventually articulates its belief that Oedipus deserves his punishment, juxtaposing their original thoughts of Oedipus which later highlights his fall to instability. A murderer travels through the streets of Thebes, causing the Chorus, represented by the citizens and suffering a dreadful plague because of the wrongdoing, wants the killer captured; however, Oedipus, the king, wants to find who committed this crime, proving ironic because of prophecies revealing his responsibility in the misconduct. After Teiresias and Creon accuse Oedipus of

The Chorus in Sophocles’ Antigone plays an interesting role in the sense that, not only do they serve as characters in the story, but they also as a party able to interact with the audience. They function as a personification of Sophocles’ own opinions in the major conflict between Creon and Antigone of which authority ranks higher: man, or gods. However, as they are also characters this insertion of the playwrite’s is not jarring. By the end of the play, it is evident that the Chorus mostly on the side of Antigone.

The chorus is an essential feature of Greek classical drama. Instances of various types of dance, singing, and speech are some elements of a Greek chorus. “Composed of similarly costumed men, they performed on the orchestra located beneath the stage. The chorus stayed in the orchestra for the duration of the performance from which vantage point they observed and commented on the action of the characters.” Oedipus is a play written by Sophocles, a respected playwright, and it is “generally assumed that the main function of the Sophoclean chorus is a philosophical one; that it serves above all as the spokesman for a certain view of life.” The chorus can be dramatic in the following ways: “through the personality of the group forming the chorus and the appropriateness of their relationship to the action and the characters, through the iambic lines spoken by the coryphaeus, through physical participation in the action and through the choral songs.” The chorus is an important component of the Greek Tragedy Oedipus. Aside from its responsibility to effectively represent the people of Thebes, the chorus in Oedipus has a powerful influence over audience perceptions and emotions.

The Chorus attempts to position itself in the audience’s mind as the population of Thebes, and functions largely as petitioners, relatively indecisive to the plot. The play moves on, though, and by the middle third, the Chorus begins to act as a moderator, providing a sober perspective on the heated arguments that rage throughout, attempting to infuse the arguing parties with the spirit of reconciliation, or at least keep the tempers from taking control of the characters’ actions. As the end approaches, the Chorus does indeed render judgment upon Oedipus, condemning him, in the eyes of the audience and himself as the cause of the plague of Thebes.

In Oedipus the King, a play by Sophocles, we see the struggles of a man destined to murder his father and sleep with his mother. While the story centers around the royalty commonly found in a tragedy, the lower class are a very important part of the story and help propel the narrative forwards. The lower class characters who affect the story the most are the messenger who delivers the news of Polybus’ death to Oedipus, the Shepherd who rescued Oedipus from the talons of death, and the Chorus who represent the people of Thebes. The narrative of the play is heavily catalyzed by these key minor characters, and without them the story would not have taken place in the same way it had.