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Exploring Greek Tragedy: Oedipus Rex and Antigone

Dive into the world of Greek tragedy through the works of Sophocles, focusing on Oedipus Rex and Antigone. Understand the elements, structure, and significance of tragedy, as well as the role of tragic heroes and the chorus.

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Exploring Greek Tragedy: Oedipus Rex and Antigone

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  1. Introduction To Greek Tragedy Sophocles: Oedipus Rex Antigone

  2. Tragedy as a Genre • A work performed on stage • Central character suffers a purposeful misfortune (harmartia) connected to his actions • Stresses vulnerability of humans to this hamartia brought on by human and divine means and undeserved due to its harshness

  3. Reading Tragedy • Difficulty of language • High style • Highly allusive of classical myths and strange Greek customs • Difficulty of stage conventions • Formal, stylized, not much action • Much talk, not much interaction • Ex.: Oedipus’ opening speech • Messenger’s speech relating all that happened offstage

  4. Cont. • Difficulty of performance • Tragedy is a public genre to be read aloud • Past Epics (Homer’s Illiad/Oddessy-sung) • Performed solely on stage until 4th cent. • Aristotle’s, Poetics,-poss. to privately read tragedy and experience effects • Reader must use imagination for stage direction and action • Would be performed during festivals • Playwright would show his work during festival of Dionysis (greek god of wine and theater) • Would choose actors and chorus to train

  5. Context: Greek World of Theater • Three major playwrights in “Golden Age of Greece”/”Classical Period” • Aeschylus (525-456 BC) • Sophocles (496-406 BC) • Euripides (486-406 BC )

  6. Theater of Epidaurus: best preserved ancient theater

  7. Theater of Dionysus (plays first produced here), built into the side of the Athenian Acropolis

  8. Parts of the theater • Open air seating, @ 15, 000 spectators • Included: • Orchestra • Parodos (for choral & other "big" entrances: e.g. the entrance of Creon) • Skene (literally, "tent") = stage • Scenery • Props • Ekkyklema: ‘wheeled-out thing’= rolled out of skene to depict past action (i.e. a murder) • Mechane: ‘theatrical machine’ = crane,cable and harness for actors to fly (i.e. gods)

  9. The Chorus • Tragedy not pure drama but added interspersed choral singing • Non-prof. and trained by the poet • Usually 12 members (Sophocles changed to 15) • Function: • to sing parados: entrance song • To have dialogue with characters through leader (Coryphaeus) • To sing and dance songs called stasima which comment directly upon what is going on • Allows for scene changes

  10. The Chorus: Cont. • Most Important: lyrical poetic function • First stasium= song of gods: emphasizes role of divinity to audience who would expect this • Introduces Apollo-divinity who plays major role: divine insight, brilliance and wisdom

  11. Oedipus Rex: Structure • Prologue: opening scene (exposition) • Parados (370-381) • First Episode (dialogue: 381-395) • First Stasium (choral singing:396-397) • Second Episode (397- 416) • Second Stasium (416-418) • Third Episode (418-428) • Third Stasium (429) • Fourth Episode (430-434) • Fourth Stasium (435- 436) • Exodus (general scene of dialogue: 436-451)

  12. What is a tragic hero? • Aristotle states: char. that will evoke our pity and terror; mix of good and bad • higher than we are in moral worth • Suffers due to his/her hamartia or tragic flaw: “error in judgment” • Hubris = pride: common to Greek tragedies: blatant self-confidence that causes char. to disregard divine warning or violate an important moral law

  13. Prologue + Parados: Irony + Role Of Apollo • Prologue: • The people (priest) ask Oedipus' help to rid plague • Oedipus helps-sends Creon to Delphi to ask Apollo's advice • Creon returns and reports that Apollo has commanded that the Thebans expell a pollution from their land- the murderer of the former King, Laius • Oedipus pledges to find the murderer • Parodos: • chorus calls on Apollo, Athena, and Artemis to help • describes the horrors of the plague

  14. First Episode (Irony + Role Of god’s “voice”) • Oedipus proclaims measures to find the murderer, • curses whoever tries to hide him. • chorus advises Oedipus to consult with the seer Tiresias • T. is unwilling to identify the murderer • Oedipus, angered, accuses him of having helped in the murder of Laius • T then accuses Oedipus of being the murderer • Oedipus begins to suspect that Creon is plotting against him • T sets out what will happen to Oedipus, who cannot understand his words • First Stasimon: • chorus dances and sings about the life of the murderer of Laius now that he is a hunted criminal • expresses trust in Oedipus' skill- rescued the city before when he solved the riddle of the Sphinx

  15. 2nd Episode: Oedipus’ Realization + Hubris • Creon upset at Oed; senator calms him stating it was simply anger • Creon + Oed. Argue and C. states that in matters he is unsure of he “holds [his] tongue”- shows Oed. quick to anger • Creon argues why he would want to assume the throne/have king’s problems- warns Oed. not to judge on “dubious argument”-shows Oed. Pride • Jocasta relates event of oracle meeting/Oed. Realization + hubris noted- does not listen to C. or Sen. and thought he could avoid gods by fleeing

  16. 2nd Stasimon • Chorus sings of dangers of pride, the fate that befell Laius, and entreated the gods that allowed this to occur

  17. 3rd Episode: Irony + Oed. “Fortune” • Mess. reveals that Polybus died of naturaL causes • Oed. sends the oracles to “Hades”- O. doubts gods • Mess. relates that Oed. was adopted/found and brought to safety • Jocasta’s realization: she is his wife + mother • Irony—trying to avoid the prophecy caused it to come to pass—Oed is the “child of Fortune” (not positive) • 3rd Stasimon • Chorus sings/laments about unknown birth of Oed.

  18. 4th Episode: Oed. Tragedy Revealed • Old man remarks that he saved the baby from Laius due to being afraid of “ evil prophecies”- ignore/avoid voice of gods • Oed. Complete Realization: states “O Light, This be the last time I shall gaze on thee”—foreshadows his fate/tragic circumstance • 4th Stasimon • Chorus laments/asks why someone so great was made to fail • BUT warns: II. 2. –”Time found thee out—Time who sees everything”– FATE! do not ignore the gods

  19. 5th Episode: Resolution + Theme • Mess. relates Jocasta’s death and Oed. Consequent blinding by her hair pins • Mess. States Oed. will banish himself • Chorus sings in great lament • Now Oed recognizes: “The Power Unseen”; he states: “Apollo, Apollo fulfills…my measure of ills” • Sen. laments his “hapless fate” • Oed wishes Old Man who saved him should perish—still avoiding gods? • C. enters and Oed. wishes to be cast out of Thebes- C. suggests asking gods—Oed doubts yet again • Oed laments his daughter’s fate- wishes C. to take them

  20. Exodus • Chorus asks audience to behold Oed– a prince who “did not with envy see [(did not heed/”see”)]… above him” • Cautions audience to not be too happy, to not take for granted; to not dishonor the gods; to not ignore fate

  21. Apollo vs. Oed.: Divine vs. human knowledge/voice • Apollo: • Associated with: • Sun, knowledge, truth • Divine prophecy (but it is actually told by T.- a blind man who can “see” divine) • Apollo = voice of Zeus; T. = voice of Apollo • PARADOX: Oed. prophecy was dark and obscure/ riddling, yet brought to light by clear sighted human wisdom– is this correct?

  22. Cont. • Oedipus: • Human and flawed • Cares for his people, but pride reigns • Reveals truth– rids Thebes of Sphinx’s torment • Has too much confidence in human wisdom and not the gods • Insightful: knew to send Creon, knew to send for Tiresius • Hubris: quick to anger, to accuse and to ignore the gods

  23. Why Must Oed. Suffer? • Hubris/pride and hamartia/ignoring the god’s voice • Doubts the divine oracle, Apollo, Tiresius, and thus is punished • Higher moral worth than contemporary human (king) and powerful BUT relies too heavily on human intellect– with great power comes great responsibility • Man learns to honor the gods through suffering

  24. Divine Wisdom: Paradoxical • Each step to avoid the prophecy= fulfilling it • If Oed did not resist, what would have happened?= oracle/prophecy would not have come true, but it MUST; thus, man must not believe it…so why is it told? • Wisdom in this paradoxical world is a riddle; one must disbelieve for the word of the gods to come true, where the blind see and the sighted are blind– divine wisdom is incomprehensible to humans • Sophoclean notion of divine wisdom assumes some essential truths beyond human comprehension

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