Oedipus the King By Sophocles Ancient Greek Tragedian

Oedipus the King By Sophocles Ancient Greek Tragedian 496 – 406 BC

Oedipus the King �We will be learning Greek drama in our next work, Oedipus the King. �Oedipus the King is a tragedy written by the Greek author Sophocles. �Note: The translation we will be using is by David Grene.

Origins of Greek Drama �Originated in the religious festivals that honored the gods �Rituals included dancing, music, and chants �Reflected the values and beliefs of Greek society �Exposed society’s flaws and human weaknesses �Allowed the audience to learn a lesson from characters and conflicts in the play

Dionysus � The god of the grape harvest, wine, ritual madness, fertility, theatre, and religious ecstasy in ancient Greek religion and myth. � Patron god of the Greek theatre � One of the twelve Olympians � Only full god with one immortal parent and one mortal parent � Dionysia is the festival that celebrates Dionysus, and dramatic performance is a major part of this festival.

Greek • Maximum of 3 male actors, in addition to chorus Both • Have a moral that actors/director/ playwright is trying to convey to audience Modern • As many characters and of any gender as playwright deems necessary • Plays divided into prologue, • Integrate music, dance and scenes, odes, strophes, story antistrophes, and exodos • Plays divided into scenes and acts • Few and very simple special • The tragedy and the effects and props comedy, including slapstick and satyr (satire) • Many complex special effects and props • Religious and spiritually significant • Reaction of audience is very • Purely entertainment important to life of a play • Playwright was responsible to write, direct, choreograph, design and sometimes act in a play • Similar set-up of theater • Specific jobs are given to specialists. i. e. playwright writes script, director directs actors, etc.

Parts of the Theater �Theatron (place of seeing): the area of theater in which the audience viewed a performance �Parodos (passage way): the side entrance of theater where the chorus enters

Parts of the Theater, contd. �Orchestra (place of dancing): the main part of the stage where the chorus would sing, dance, and interact with other actors near the skene �Skene (tent/scene building): the background building of the stage; actors would make entrances and exits through the doors of the skene

Essentials of Greek Drama 1. The unity of TIME action took place within 24 hours 2. The unity of PLACE -one unchanging setting -characters dramatically reveal what happens in other settings 3. The unity of SUBJECT focus on the main character; no subplots

The Play: Tragedy �Tragedies dealt with universal issues and focused on the rise and downfall of a hero. �The plots were inspired by the legends the Homeric epics. �Introduction of a conflict rising action (conflict between hero and opposing forces) climax falling action (leads to the disaster with which the play must end)

Parts of the Tragedy � Prologue, which described the situation and set the scene � Ode, a type of lyrical poetry (personal emotions often set to music of the lyre and spoken in first person) � Strophe, “turn” First part of an ode sung by the chorus as it makes its entrance from right to left down the parados � Antistrophe “turn back” Second part sung by the chorus as it moves from left to right. � Dramatic scenes, each followed by a komos, an exchange of laments by the chorus and the protagonist � Exodos, the climax and conclusion

Parts of the Tragedy, contd. �Tragedies were most often presented as trilogies. �Oedipus the King is the first part of the trilogy written by Sophocles. �Oedipus the King �Oedipus at Colonus �Antigone

The Tragic Hero �A protagonist of high birth or noble status �A series of events turns into a disaster because of the tragic hero’s actions rather than through fate. �The protagonist has a “tragic flaw” that will lead to his/her downfall. �The tragic flaw was most often hubris (excessive pride) �The tragic hero will have a moment of realization after his/her downfall

The Actors �Only men were allowed to participate. �Three men were given speaking roles. �Actors were chosen from a pool of professionals. �Costumes were masks and long robes with elaborate designs

The Chorus �Chorus (literal meaning): “dance” �The chorus serves as confidantes and advisors for the characters �Consisted of about 12 -15 people �Members of the chorus moved and spoke in unison �Plays an active part in the play

Functions of the Chorus 1) To establish the ethical framework 2) To set mood and heighten dramatic effect 3) To add movement, song, and dance 4) To provide rhythm 5) To provide time for scene changes and introduce background 6) To represent the “ideal” spectator

Sophocles (496 BC-406 BC) �Born at Colonus and died in Athens �His father made battle armor and weaponry �Very well-educated �Civic minded �Athlete, poet, and musician

Sophocles �A popular playwright of his time �Earned more first and second place prizes for his plays than any other playwright �Wrote 123 plays, but only seven plays survived through the years �Held great affection for Athens and rarely left the city �Traditional in his approach to writing about the Greek gods

The Oedipus Myth �Cadmus, the founder of Thebes, angered the god Apollo by killing his favorite snake. �The descendants of Cadmus were punished with a curse. Each generation’s curse would be foretold by Apollo’s oracle. �Laius, the king of Thebes, was told a prophecy that if Laius had a son with Jocasta, his wife and queen, the son would kill his father and marry his mother.

The Oedipus Myth �Laius pinned the ankles of Oedipus and instructed a servant to leave the infant Oedipus on Mount Cithaeron to die. �The servant instead gave Oedipus to a shepherd, and the shepherd gave him to the queen of Corinth. �The infant was given the name Oedipus, which means “swollen foot” because of the wounds in his feet. �Oedipus fled Corinth after hearing the prophecy that he would kill his father and marry his mother.

The Oedipus Myth �Oedipus arrives in Thebes and finds a sphinx tormenting the Thebans. �The sphinx was a monster with the body of a lion and the head and torso of a woman. �King Laius had been killed on his way to Delphi. Thebans could not investigate the murder because of the sphinx.

The Riddle of the Sphinx �“What walks on four legs in the morning, on two legs at noon, and three legs in the evening? ” � Answer: Man

Cast of Characters � Oedipus: King of Thebes, supposed son of Polybos and Merope, King and Queen of Corinth � Jocasta: Wife of Oedipus and widow of the late King Laios � Creon: Brother of Jocasta and brother-in-law of Oedipus. A prince of Thebes. � Teiresias: an old, blind seer, or prophet � Chorus, Leader of chorus � Priest, religious man from the Theban community � Messenger, old man from Corinth � Second Messenger, from Oedipus’ palace at Thebes � Herdsman, former shepherd of the late King Laios � Antigone and Ismene, young daughters of Oedipus and Jocasta � Suppliants, guards, servants

Literary Terms � Catharsis: emotional purge through which one can achieve a state of moral or spiritual renewal � Dramatic irony: the audience or reader knows more about a character’s situation than the character does and knows that the character’s understanding is incorrect � Tragic flaw: the main defect of the protagonist in a tragedy � Example: Romeo’s impulsiveness � Tragic hero: the main character in a tragedy; a tragic hero must have a tragic flaw, which causes his/her downfall

Themes to Consider �Reversal of fortune (a character starts with high status and falls into low status) �Human weaknesses (e. g. : too much pride leads to one’s own downfall) �The limitations of free will (a character tries, but cannot escape fate)

Essential Questions �When a dark secret is revealed, how do you deal with the information? �How is a country’s leader a reflection of the country? �How is truth defined? How do you know what is true? �How does literature help us release our emotions?