The Theban Plays By Sophocles King Oedipus Sophocles

The Theban Plays -By Sophocles King Oedipus

Sophocles – Theban Plays King Oedipus

Sophocles 496 BC-406 BC {approx}

Sophocles – Historical Analysis Born at Colonus near Athens

Sophocles – Historical Analysis • • The most famous Greek tragedies – Theban Plays He wrote over 123 plays in his life, 118 titles are known and only 7 survive Compared to Shakespeare who wrote 36 -39 plays in his lifetime Was considered to be an extremely good – natured man

Sophocles – Historical Analysis • • Father - Sophillus Not an aristocrat – but a very wealthy man Sophocles was given an excellent education He took part in many competitions and won many At 16 he was chosen to lead a boys choir He entered many Athenian play competitions At 28 he won a competition against the great Aeschylus

Greek Theatre

Oedipus the King – Background information • King Oedipus is the end of a dramatically long story • Myth begins a few generations before Oedipus was born • The city of Thebes was founded by a man named Cadmus, who slew a dragon and was instructed to sow the dragon's teeth in order to give birth to a city. From these teeth sprang a race of giants who were fully armed angry; they fought each other until only five were left, and these five became the fathers of Thebes. Ancient Greek audiences would already know the background, and in fact the entirety, of the Oedipus story.

Oedipus • The name Oedipus will be recognized from Sigmund Freud's famous "Oedipus Complex” • His theory that young boys lust after their mothers and see their fathers as competition for their mothers' favors. • Sigmund Freud’s theory was heavily derived from the Sophocles play. However this theory is not helpful to the play. Oedipus is not a child when Sophocles’ play takes place • Oedipus is that he is unaware of the identity of his parents when he respectively murders and sleeps with them.

Oedipus the King

Masks in Theatre • In 5 th Century Athens plays were performed by only 2 or 3 characters. Men would also play the characters of women. • Think of examples of modern day plays that use masks in their performances?