Oedipus the King

1. Oedipus the King Oedipus the King also known by the Latin title Oedipus Rex, is an Athenian tragedy by Sophocles that was first performed c. 429 BCE

2. Link to Family Tree / Images of Stage • http://www.aug.edu/~nprinsky/Humn2001/oed-nq.htm Cadmus- mythical founder and first king of Thebes, a city in central Greece where the play takes place

3. Cadmus - Ancestor of Laius • Misfortune • 1st citizens devoured by dragon • Cadmus laid him dead. • Sowed dragon’s teeth • Tribe of giants • 5 fathers of Thebes Oedipus- biological parents: Laius and Jocasta

4. Oedipus • Life clouded with disaster • Oracle- foretold his future • Destined to kill his father and marry his mother. • Raised as a prince of Corinth • Thinks Polybus and Merope are his real parents • “Could any mortal be so presumptuous as to try to thwart it?

5. Oedipus • Who saves him? Why? • What happens on Oedipus’ journey when he encounters his biological father? • How does this fulfill the prophecy and facilitate the next step set forth by the Oracle? • infanticide • patricide • regicide • fratricide • https://www.msu.edu/~defores1/gre/roots/gre_rts_afx2.htm

6. Riddle of the Sphinx • Greek mythology • Sphinx sat outside of Thebes asked travelers a riddle. • Failed to solve the riddle, then death • Correct, then the Sphinx would destroy herself. • http://www.pitt.edu/~edfloyd/Class1130/sphinx.html

7. The Riddle of the Sphinx • "What goes on four feet in the morning, two feet at noon, and three feet in the evening?“ In some accounts the word “legs” is substituted for feet. • What is your answer?

8. The Answer "Man, who crawls in infancy, walks upright in his prime, and leans on a cane in old age."

9. Paradox • “Central from the very beginning: the idea of paradox, of riddling wisdom, of the one-that-is-many: much of the meaning of the play derives from the specifics of the poetic wording”

10. Focus Questions • What is a paradox? • What is dramatic irony? • What does it mean to supplicate? • What then is a suppliant? • Craft a sentence in which you use the words supplicate and suppliant in a sentence that shows your understanding of these words. • Challenge: Write a sentence using these words that also demonstrates your understanding of the word irony.

11. Paradox • Paradox: Quotes http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/paradox Irony versus Paradox • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtU2Mth86Hc

12. Dionysus- Festivals of Dionysus • Tragedies performed in spring at the annual state religious festival in honor of Dionysus the (god of wine and fertility) • Contest between three playwrights- three days. • Each playwright – one trilogy of tragedies + one comic piece called a satyr play. • At most three actors + chorus Related to the word satire? http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=satire Source: http://faculty.gvsu.edu/websterm/Tragedy.htm

13. Playwrights Tragedians • Aeschylus • Sophocles (Oedipus Rex) • Euripides Comedian • Aristophanes • Sophocles won first prize for tragic drama defeating Aeschylus in 468. • Sophocles wrote over 100 plays; only 7 of his tragedies survive.

14. Greek theatre was in the open air • Performances probably lasted most of the day. Performances were apparently open to all citizens, including women, but evidence is scanty. • The theatre of Dionysus at Athens held around 15,000 -17,000 people.

15. Facts about the Athenian theater • Plays were performed amid environment of “high civic splendor” and “religious ritual”. • Performing these plays is described as a “solemn responsibility” • Religious approach to the dramatic theme.

16. Facts about the Athenian theater • Audience was familiar with plots. • “Was taken as axiomatic that the play should tell already established story of the legendary or heroic past.” • Attention not held in suspense over what would happen. • Characterization / variations • Dramatic irony – a subtle weapon • Drama was art form that was not a “passing curiosity” but promoted “profound contemplation of eternal truths”. What does that mean? • The “unshirking” quest for truth

17. Read the opening scene of Oedipus. • There are no traditional acts or scenes as we are accustomed to seeing them in this play. Please use line number references as you read. 1st reading task: Page 25- middle of page 31 before Oedipus enters from the Palace

18. Universal aspects of theater • “inconsistent vacillating mortals that we are…” • “the human instinct for narrative and impersonation, for ritualistic expression and the interpretation of the power of natural forces…” • What forces? • The cycle of life and death • The nexus of past, present, and future • Fate and the nature of fate versus free will

19. Greek Theater - Masks • All actors were male and wore masks • Masks may have amplified sound • Masks exaggerated dominant characteristics of the role.

20. The Greek Chorus • A Greek chorus chanted, danced and sang (in unison) • Usually 15 in number • Presents background and summary information to help the audience follow the performance • Expresses to the audience what the main characters cannot say - hidden fears or secrets. • Provides characters with needed insights • Comments on important themes • Reflects on the choices of characters and their validity or morality • Entrance and exit sign like a curtain rising or closing

21. Role of the Chorus • “The attention of the audience was not primarily to be held by the factor of suspense or the desire to see what happens. And this was the most fitting condition for the art form which was to invite not a passing curiosity but profound contemplation of eternal truths.”

22. Role of the Chorus • Standing aloof • Unifying and commenting • Interpreter of the drama • We like the Chorus are both in the tragedy and spectators of it. • With them we are the citizens of Thebes • We are both in the tragedy and spectators of it • Represent the Theban Elders in Oedipus

23. What makes Oedipus special? (From the introduction in your text…) • Prosperous • Complacent in this prosperity • Too confident in his sufficiency • Too ready to take offense or impute blame when rattled by approach of trouble • See if you see these elements in his character as you read the text.

24. Take Notes! • What is the problem to which Oedipus is responding? • Who are the suppliants? For what reason and to whom are they supplicating? • Take notes on the characterization of Oedipus, and specifically watch for the use of dramatic irony. • Meet Creon brother to Jocasta and form your initial impressions of him as a character. Always prepare to back up your inferences with a specific detail from the text. • Watch for allusions to the gods and be prepared to paraphrase the words of the Chorus as they sum up the scene. • Where do you see the ideas of irony and paradox emerging in the text thus far?

25. What will Oedipus say next? First, answer the comprehension questions over last night’s reading using socrative.com. Our class is #541313 Then, answer the short answer question on the half sheet. Question: Given your understanding that dramatic irony was used as a “subtle weapon” by Sophocles, what would Oedipus say next? Write a paragraph (without using your book) from the perspective of Oedipus responding to the pleas of his people. Don’t repeat the same general idea. Include an element of dramatic irony in your response.

26. Irony • irony that "Oedipus can only fulfill his exceptional god-ordained destiny because Oedipus is a preeminently capable and intelligent human being. Irony versus Paradox • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtU2Mth86Hc

27. Close Reading • Dramatic irony (since we know it is Sophocles’ “subtle weapon”) • Paradox • Word choice • Allusions (to philosophers, to Greek culture, to other stories) • Symbols • Motifs (patterns)

28. What have we seen so far? • the “vile Enchantress” • Allusion to metaphor of a ship • Pythian house of Apollo = Oracle at Delphi • Motif of purification • Motif of light and darkness Quotes: “None suffers more than I… my heart bears the weight…” “Their plight concerns me now, more than my life.” “I will start afresh and bring everything into the light.” Phoebus = Apollo

29. Film Rendition • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WS9KJ_bAJLE What is different about how the play is shown in this film rendition? Pay close attention to the film’s representation of The Chorus. What is the role of The Chorus in the opening scenes?

30. Oedipus: Irony Oedipus has declared his devotion to finding the killer. Yet, the audience knows what he does not know. He is the killer! As we learned from the video, irony is the juxtaposition of intended meaning and unintended meaning, or the interplay of opposites when the audience knows that what a character “knows” to be true is the opposite of what is true.

31. Irony is not the same as “a bummer”. • When a character’s intent is the opposite of the outcome, this is irony, but this is not the same as what is unfortunate. • AlannisMorrisette’s song “Ironic” would be more aptly titled “Isn’t it a bummer?” Lyrics to “Ironic” http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/alanismorissette/ironic.html

32. Paradox • Two seemingly contradictory things that coexist simultaneously • The “puzzling wisdom” present in Oedipus

33. Oedipus: Paradox “Not merely from a fellow-creature will I clear this taint, but from myself.” • I see both irony and paradox in this statement because both are true. As he “clears this taint” by avenging the death of Laius, he will also “purify” himself. This is not exactly what he is saying, but the audience knows this because they know he is the killer. “I will start afresh and bring everything into the light.” • The juxtaposition of light and darkness may contribute to the language of paradox. Watch for this as you read.

34. Allusion to Ship of State • “Surely there is no strength in wall or ship, where men are lacking and no life breathes within them.” • Ship= community (Remember the relationship between the individual, the philosopher, and the community was an idea that was important to Plato, especially given the demise of his mentor Socrates. • The ship of state is a famous and oft-cited metaphor put forth by Plato in book VI of the Republic. It likens the governance of a city-state to the command of a naval vessel - and ultimately argues that the only men fit to be captain of this ship are philosopher kings, benevolent men with absolute power who have access to the Form of the Good. (Yes, this is Wikipedia. One thing it does well is explain allusions in a concise manner and I know that this is accurate.)

35. Motif of Light and Darkness Oedipus: “I will start afresh and bring everything into the light.” Chorus: “Night’s agony grows into tortured day. Zeus, let thy thunders crush, thy lightning slay.”

36. What is moral engineering • What does it mean to be moral? • What is engineering? • What might it mean to “engineer” morals? • What might be problematic about “engineering” morality?

37. What is moral engineering? • Moral engineering is the product/intent of a government or some other organized group/system/organization to bring/engineer/develop/lay the ground works for/design/direct the moral education/course/ definition that a society takes.  • In the case of Greek Drama, the dramatists worked hand in hand with the government, doing their part to produce strong, moral citizens in order to produce a morally strong society. 

38. Tragedy & Moral Engineering • Through tragedy, they showed the audience that all of us were capable of being instrumental in bringing about our own downfall.  • “ I think they used people of consequence to have the fall from happiness, etc., that much more frightening.  If that could happen to a rich and powerful man, what hope do I have?  Well, if you choose to steer your life away from excessive pride and arrogance and realize that your actions can precipitate your demise, maybe you can avoid developing a tragic flaw and avoid a catastrophe.”

39. Moral Engineering The design and construction of a society in which “moral” behavior is facilitated. • http://faculty.gvsu.edu/websterm/Tragedy.htm Link to video on Education Portal: http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/greek-theatre-tragedy-and-comedy.html#transcript

40. Symbols of Supplication Who are the supplicants and why have they come? • Why did the people carry boughs to the twin altars of Pallas? Why did they place sacred embers of divination beside the river of Ismenus? How does the presentation of boughs to Oedipus impact the setting of the opening scene? • What is divination? • Harry Potter class?

41. What makes Oedipus special? (From the introduction in your text…) • Prosperous • Complacent in this prosperity • Too confident in his sufficiency • Too ready to take offense or impute blame when rattled by approach of trouble Think about these elements as you begin to analyze Oedipus.

42. What Makes Oedipus a Tragic Hero? • In what ways does he fit the definition of a tragic hero that you read when you researched Aristotle’s ideas about the tragic hero?

43. Elements of Tragedy • Downfall of a noble hero or heroine, usually through some combination of hubris, fate, and the will of the gods. • Tragic hero encounters limits of human frailty: flaws of reason and hubris. • The gods (through oracles, prophets, fate), or nature factor into the conflict. http://www.ohio.edu/people/hartleyg/ref/aristotletragedy.html

44. Aristotle on Oedipus • in his Poetics, Aristotle considered Oedipus the King to be the tragedy best matched his prescription for how drama should be made • ACCORDING TO ARISTOTLE – OEDIPUS REX – IS THE PERFECT EXAMPLE OF . . . . • Tragedy

45. Aristotle – The Poetics • The Poetics is in part Aristotle's response to his teacher, Plato, who argues in The Republic that poetry is representation of mere appearances and is thus misleading and morally suspect. Aristotle's approach to the phenomenon of poetry is quite different from Plato's. Fascinated by the intellectual challenge of forming categories and organizing them into coherent systems, Aristotle approaches literary texts as a natural scientist, carefully accounting for the features of each "species" of text. Rather than concluding that poets should be banished from the perfect society, as does Plato, Aristotle attempts to describe the social function, and the ethical utility, of art. http://www.english.hawaii.edu/criticalink/aristotle/

46. Aristotle • Aristotle says that the tragic hero should have a flaw and/or make some mistake (hamartia). The hero need not die at the end, but he / she must undergo a change in fortune. In addition, the tragic hero may achieve some revelation or recognition (anagnorisis--"knowing again" or "knowing back" or "knowing throughout" ) about human fate, destiny, and the will of the gods.

47. Aristotle / Poetics the artist gives shape to the universal, not the accidental. Poetry, Aristotle says, is "a more philosophical and serious business than history; for poetry speaks more of universals, history of particulars." (catharsis): tragedy first raises (it does not create) the emotions of pity and fear, then purifies or purges them.  http://www.ohio.edu/people/hartleyg/ref/aristotletragedy.html

48. Aristotle / Poetics • The tragic hero is "a [great] man who is neither a paragon of virtue and justice nor undergoes the change to misfortune through any real badness or wickedness but because of some mistake.” • a) a great man: "one of those who stand in great repute and prosperity, like Oedipus and Thyestes: conspicuous men from families of that kind." The hero is neither a villain nor a model of perfection but is basically good and decent. • b) "mistake" (hamartia): has also been translated as "flaw" or as "error." The great man falls through--though not entirely because of--some weakness of character, some moral blindness, or error. We should note that the gods also are in some sense responsible for the hero's fall. http://www.ohio.edu/people/hartleyg/ref/aristotletragedy.html

49. Catharsis • One of the most difficult concepts introduced in the Poetics is catharsis, a word which has come into everyday language even though scholars are still debating its actual meaning in Aristotle's text. Catharsis is most often defined as the "purging" of the emotions of pity and fear that occurs when we watch a tragedy. What is actually involved in this purging is not clear. It is not as simple as getting an object lesson in how to behave; the tragic event does not "teach us a lesson" as do certain public-information campaigns on drunk driving or drug abuse. • http://www.english.hawaii.edu/criticalink/aristotle/

50. Catharsis • Hans-Georg Gadamer's attempt to describe catharsis in his study Truth and Method can serve both as a working definition and an introduction into the problem of establishing any determinate definition of this elusive concept: • What is experienced in such an excess of tragic suffering is something truly common. The spectator recognizes himself [or herself] and his [or her] finiteness in the face of the power of fate. What happens to the great ones of the earth has exemplary significance. . . .To see that "this is how it is" is a kind of self-knowledge for the spectator, who emerges with new insight from the illusions in which he [or she], like everyone else, lives. (132) • http://www.english.hawaii.edu/criticalink/aristotle/