For Thursday's class, please read Sophocles' Oedipus Rex (either online or in Levi Lind's Ten Greek Plays in Contemporary Translation).Choose one (1) of the "narrative essentials" (plot, theme, character, setting, and tone) and note one way in which Sophocles' Oedipus Rex reflects a particularly skillful handling of that "essential." Please cite the passage you have in mind both by line number and a general description of that passage.
Sophocles does a really good job of creating a setting through the words he uses. This is exemplified in lines 151-214, where he explains the plague that has struck Thebes. The words he uses enables the reader to grasp the severity of the plague on the lives of the people of Thebes.
ReplyDeleteRobbi Kannas
Sophocles does an excellent job of developing the plot by building suspense. Many people know the tale of Oedipus already, so it was interesting to see how the plot developed through Oedipus and various other messengers. The passage I looked at was from lines 316-462. It is a conversation between Oedipus and the seer Teiresias. Teiresias does not want to tell Oedipus of what he knows because he knows it is terrible news that will torment Oedipus. Oedipus continues to press Teiresias for his knowledge, and little by little, Teiresias reveals information, but stops short of telling Oedipus that all that he proclaims is about Oedipus himself. It is an excellent passage that builds suspense and advances the plot.
ReplyDeleteSophocles does a particularly good job of developing the plot of the play. The climax of the play is found in line 1182 where Oedipus laments, "Alas, alas! All things are now come true." Oedipus fully realizes that the pronouncement of the drunkard which initially drove him away from Corinth has come true because he left Corinth.
ReplyDeleteSophocles does a particularly good job of foreshadowing this climax throughout the play. He skillfully built up the resolve of Oedipus to discover the truth about the death of Laius.
Early on in line 108, Oedipus declares that the murderer has an "ancient guilt" completely unaware of the identity of the murderer. In lines 140-141, Oedipus concludes that to comply with the gods' will that the murder of Laius be investigated would benefit not only Laius but himself because, "with the same hand [the murderer] may wish to do vengeance on [Oedipus]." In line 251, Oedipus declares that not even members of his own household should be exempt from the condemnation he has declared for the murderer or anyone that aids the murderer. In line 744, Oedipus begins to realize that his investigation might yield a horrible truth and says, "I think unwittingly I have just laid dread curses on my head." Oedipus still clings to a little hope that Laius was murdered by a gang of robbers and not a single attacker.
Oedipus regularly receives advice to abandon his investigation. His resolve to complete his investigation and to follow all leads available to him flies in the face of this advice. Even his wife and confidante is adamant that Oedipus abandon the investigation before it's too late. But in line 1065, Oedipus declares, "I will hear of nothing but finding out the truth."
This blind resolve ultimately causes incredible grief to fall on Oedipus and his family when they realize the truth of Teiresias' prophecy - that the man who murdered Laius "shall be revealed at once as brother and father to his own children, husband and son to his mother, his father's kin and murderer."
I think that Sophocles does a good job with showing character and showing that characters strength in what they do. I espically like this in lines 300-361. Here is where he brings in Teiresias, the blind prophet, and Oedipus is describing him and what good he is to the people by being a prophet for them. "And so we find in you alone, great seer, our shield and saviour."
ReplyDelete-Alicyn Even
I appreciated how Sophocles handled the character of Oedipus. He is generally a good man and a good ruler, which is what makes him sympathetic. From lines 58-77, it is apparent that he feels for the plight of his people. He undertakes the investigation of the murder of the old king in order to save them from this plight, and is willing to throw the full weight of his position behind both the investigation and eventual punishment of the perpetrator.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, he also has some definite character flaws that the audience can tell will eventually lead to his doom. In his demands for answers from Teiresias (lines 322-49), he reveals a hasty temper and tendency to jump to conclusions. Also, he shows a bit too much pride in himself in lines 380-400, in which he touts his wisdom because he out-thought the sphinx.
Line 407 "How best shall we discharge Apoll's orders" is a line that best deals with the theme of this play. I believe that the theme of this play is that one should follow reason not what the gods say. Oedipus would have never gotten in this mess if he would have just used reason. Once people went to the oracles they got scared and did things that actually made the prophecies come true. I think the theme in this play is pretty clear in that people should just use reason and not listen to prophecies. Line 407 shows that people should not listen to Apollo but follow reason instead.
ReplyDelete"I have sent Menoeceus' son, Creon, my consort's brother, to inquire Of Pythian Phoebus at his Delphic shrine, How I might save the State by act or word." Line 74-77 in the translation that I am reading. This passage it think sets up Oedipus for the rest of the reading. It shows that he is not only sympathetic to the needs of the people, but he is willing to go to Delphi and ask what can be done for the people in their time of need.
ReplyDeleteJoseph Adam
Sophocles does a great job setting up the tragic irony early on when Oedipus thinks his prophecy is false because the father that raised him died,
ReplyDelete"...I was to slay my father? Now he lies dead beneath the earth, and here am I who have not touched the blade. Unless in longing for me he died, and in this sense was killed by me. Polybus has packed away these oracles in the rest of Hades. They are now worth nothing."
This irony masterfully sets up Oedipus for his tragic downfall.
-Wyatt Loftesness
Sophocles does a great job of thickening up the plot with irony, mystery, and suspense. Lines 437-450 demonstrate this as Oedipus and Teiresias are speaking. Teiresias seems to be speaking in riddles saying this day shall be your birth and destruction. That line alone adds suspense and mystery to the plot as does when Oedipus asks "What mortals gave me birth?"
ReplyDeleteR. Casey Oberle
i really like the way he sets up the setting right away in the beginning of the play becuase you can really see where the priest is giving out his lines but my favorite is "the old priest of Zeus stands alone facing the central doors of the palace, the doors open and Oedipus, followed by two attendants who stand at either door, enters and looks about." this really puts you with the preist and you really want him to sucseed now.
ReplyDeleteSophocles is very good at bringing forth character within his story. In line 400 "you disgraceful of disgraceful men. You'd move something of stone to rage" shows Oedipus's tendency to jump to conclusions and throw too much emotion into a situation. Throughout the play we see him react horribly to almost any news he discovers or knows to be true. Sophocles has a very specific character in mind for Oedipus and does a great job at bringing that character out.
ReplyDeleteI think that Sophocles does a good job with both character and plot. Character because it shows how Oedipus is concerned about what has happened to the king before him because he is also concerned about his life possibly being in danger, explained in lines 99-pretty much the end of the story. For plot, in lines 151-299, the reader starts to get concerned on what will happen when the people of Thebes find out who it was that killed their previous king. Even Oedipus is concerned since he has no clue who the killer is and is then afraid for his life being in danger as well. So the plot in this story shows off a lot of suspense that draws the reader in more to find out what will happen.
ReplyDeleteI decided to look at one of the themes that Sophocles developed in Oedipus Rex. The plague is sort of this driving force throughout the play and there are some interesting connections between the plague and this pollution within the city of Thebes.
ReplyDelete"Armed with his blazing torch the God of Plague hath swooped upon our city emptying." Oedipus attemped to blame the plague on other people, but really he is to blame for most of the problems Thebes faced. Oedipus kills his father and his relationship with his mother are both causes for the plague
Sophocles’ play Oedipus the King has a very interesting plot. Basically, Oedipus aims to find the individual who murdered his own father and married his own mother, and in the end discovers the culprit was himself. Throughout the play the audience knows the truth, which I think was a very interesting choice on the playwright’s part. As an audience member it probably would be almost painful to watch Oedipus figure out the mystery, as well as a struggle to witness the character’s suicide upon realizing the truth. “His will was set forth fully-to destroy the parricide, the scoundrel; and I am he” explains Oedipus upon figuring out the mystery. Sophocles purposely makes this own but still keeps the audience intrigued, which helps prove he’s a great playwright.
ReplyDeleteWhen I read Oedipus Rex, I noticed a key theme - both the literal and metaphoric use of 'seeing'. "If I had sight, I know not with what eyes"(1371-1372) and "He shall be blind who sees..."(454) The first line represents literal sight and eyes in regards to Oedipus being blind. The second section refers to someone who can literally see, but who is at a lack of understanding and comprehension. 'Seeing' is interchangeable with 'knowing' or 'perceiving' throughout this, and the other two plays written by Sophocles and is a major theme throughout all three.
ReplyDelete- Jefferson Gunderson
I really love the character development of Oedipus. As the story begins, he is eager to find out why his people are dying. As Creon tells him that they must drive out a murderer, a "pollution", Oedipus is ready to find out who the killer is. This first image of Oedipus is a proud and ambitious king. Through his search for the killer, he becomes impatient and enraged. Then, when the truth comes out, one really sees how impatient and angry Oedipus can be. Oedipus's major faults ruined him.
ReplyDeleteSophocles does a really good job setting up the plat in the play Oedipus Rex. The plot is fascinating to see a king who is set on finding a murderer and telling all of the citizens of his kingdom to outcast this person. As the story develops the king accuses his brother in law of the murder, and later on after the facts come out we find out that not only did Oedipus kill the man but it was his father that he killed, and he was prophesized to do all of these things from birth. At the very end of this play, pg. 153, we get to see the outcome is Oedipus reveling in his last glory and the fate of him that is to come of him going to live alone and die alone because he says he is not good enough to see his father or mother in the afterlife.
ReplyDeleteBaker Haar