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Oedipus Rex

Oedipus Rex. By, Sophocles (c.496 – 406 B.C). About Sophocles:. Sophocles wrote tragedies. His plays depict characters caught in unsolvable dilemmas that test their faith in divine and human justice.

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Oedipus Rex

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  1. Oedipus Rex By, Sophocles (c.496 – 406 B.C)

  2. About Sophocles: • Sophocles wrote tragedies. • His plays depict characters caught in unsolvable dilemmas that test their faith in divine and human justice. • He lived through a plague that is very similar to the plague going on in Thebes in Oedipus Rex and was able to write about it.

  3. Let’s Review Tragedy: • Definition: depicts the downfall of a basically good person through some fatal error or misjudgment, producing suffering and insight on the part of the protagonist and arousing pity and fear on the part of the audience.

  4. Principles of Tragedy: • Should evoke pity and fear on the part of the audience – Aristotle states, “tragedy effects the catharsis (emotional cleansing) of these emotions. - example – when I was scared after watching Michael Myers in Halloween last night • The hero must be essentially good and admirable. The audience will cheer when the bad guy goes down or when a hero goes down we feel sad or feel compassion. • The hero’s demise MUST come as a result of some personal error or decision. – in tragedy no such thing as an innocent victim. The hero always bears at least some responsibility for his own doom.

  5. Tragedy Terms: • Anagnorisis -tragic recognition or insight – a moment of clarity in the mind of the tragic hero; he understands the fate he has entangled himself in. • Hamartia - tragic error – a fatal error or mistake on the part of the protagonist that eventually leads to the final catastrophe. • Hubris -is – excessive pride. “nothing bad will ever happen to me”

  6. Fun Terms Continued: • Nemesis -retribution or punishment for acts of hubris • Peripateia - Plot reversal – a pivotal or crucial action on the part of the protagonist that changes his situation from seemingly secure to vulnerable.

  7. Now We Move on to the Greek Theater: • 5th Century BC • The Dionysia -an annual festival in honor of the god Dionysus – usually in March or April -people would watch plays, both tragedies and comedies

  8. Greek Theater Continued: • Plays took place in the Theater of Dionysus: • Made of stone • Resembled a semi circle with steeply rising tiers of seats. • At the bottom was the rounded orchestra, or the performance area, where the chorus would sing and dance. • Behind the orchestra was an open, bare stage, where actors performed all the roles; by switching masks – one actor could play a number of roles – both male and female, in a single play.

  9. Greek Theater Terminology: • Dialogue – conversation between 2 or more characters • Scene – a stage setting • Orchestra – the semicircular space in front of the stage used by the chorus. • Choragus – the leader of the chorus • Chorus – a company of performers whose singing, dancing, and narration, provided explanation and elaboration of the main character.

  10. Now the Interesting Stuff:Background that we need to know about Good ole Oedipus: • Oedipus – the ill – fated king of Thebes whose past is beginning to catch up with him. (His past is extremely intriguing and will be why you LOVE this play) • He has won the hand of Queen Jocasta, whose husband, King Laius, had been killed on the road by a traveler.

  11. What Oedipus Doesn’t Know: • Oedipus doesn’t know that HE is the child of Laius and Jocasta. • His parents, seeking to avoid an awful prophecy that their son would one day kill his father and marry his mother, Jocasta and Laius had made arrangements to kill their precious baby Oedipus. • They gave him to a shepherd, who was ordered to abandon baby Oedipus, his ankles pinned together, on the side of Mount Citheron.

  12. HOWEVER, the shepherd had a good heart. • He felt sorry for poor baby Oedipus and gave him to a Corinthian messenger. • This couple adopted baby Oedipus, named him, Oedipus, which means “swollen foot” and loved him.

  13. Oedipus’s discovery of his TRUE weird, demented identity as the murderer of his OWN REAL FATHER – for it was poor teenage Oedipus who came upon King Laius and killed him, AND the husband of his very own mother, is what this play is about. • And now we begin….

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