Sophocles 496 – 406 BCE

1. Sophocles496 – 406 BCE

2. Biographical Information • Born in Athens in the town of Colonus. • He grew up during the Persian Wars, and was chosen to participate in the victory celebrations for the Greek naval victory at Salamis in 480 BCE, an honor that suggests that the young Sophocles was particularly talented and handsome. • Sophocles was also a founder of the cult of the god Asclepius (Greek god of healing and medicine) in 420 BCE, an activity which may have been connected to the establishment of a public hospital

3. Biographical Information • He wrote around one hundred and twenty-three plays for the Athenian theatre, and won twenty-four festivals -- he placed second in every festival that did not win. • Only seven of his plays, however, have survived intact. They are: Ajax, Antigone , The Women of Trachis , Oedipus the King, Electra , Philoctetes , and Oedipus at Colonus. • He also introduced several key innovations, including painted background scenery, changing the number of speaking actors from two to three, and enlarging the chorus from twelve to fifteen men.

4. The Greek Drama • The Greek drama began as a religious observance in honor of Dionysus, god of wine, agriculture, and theater. • Originally, the story was told in the form of a song, chanted at first by everyone taking part in the festival, and later by a chorus of about fifty performers, and at intervals in the song the leader would recite part of the story himself. • A Greek drama was in many ways much simpler than a modern drama. There were fewer characters, and usually only three speaking actors were allowed on the stage at once. There was only one story.

5. Greek Drama • Greek festivals were held yearly in the spring and it was considered a holiday time for the citizens. • Performances were directly related to Dionysus and were preceded by a sacrifice. • Festivals would last from sun up to sun down and awards were given to the best plays. • Greek audiences were very critical, and shouts and applause, or groans and hisses showed its approval or disapproval of the play

6. The Chorus • The Chorus is a group of 12 to 15 actors who offered a variety of background and summary information to help the audience follow the performance. • The chorus expressed to the audience what the main characters could not say, such as their fears or secrets. • The Greek chorus usually communicated in song form, but sometimes spoke their lines in unison. • As the Greek theaters were so large, the chorus' actions had to be exaggerated and their voices clear so that everyone could see and hear them.

7. Prologue • Oedipus and his family are the central figures in this Greek mythology story. • Two generations before the story of Antigone, King Laius and Queen Jocasta of Thebes had a newborn son who, according to the oracle of Apollo at Delphi, was destined to kill his father and marry his mother. • They were horrified by this prophecy and they devised a plan to get rid of their child. • Laius pierced the baby’s feet with an iron pin to prevent him from crawling and gave him to a shepard, with orders to abandon the child in the the mountains where he would die from exposure.

8. Prologue Cont. • The shephard took pity on the child and instead, gave him to his employers, King Polybus and Queen Merope of Corinth. • They named him Oedipus, which means “swollen foot”. • When Oedipus became a young man had heard rumors that he was adopted so he set out to find out the truth. He asked the oracle who told him the prophecy about killing his father and marrying his mother. • Oedipus was horrified and didn’t want to hurt his parents so he left Corinth never to return.

9. Prologue Cont. • Oedipus traveled through Greece and eventually arrived near Thebes, which was, at the time, being ravaged by a savage monster, the Sphinx. • He came upon a crossroads and argued with another traveler about the right-of-way. The traveler was King Laius who was on his way to try and kill the sphinx. • Laius insulted Oedipus and so he took out his sword and killed Laius.

10. Prologue Cont. • Oedipus continued on his journey and came upon the Sphinx. The monster controlled the path and asked each traveler a riddle. If they did not get the riddle correct then she would eat them. The riddle was: “What walks on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon, and three legs in the evening? • Oedipus answered correctly and the Sphinx was so upset she threw herself off a cliff and died. • The city of Thebes was so grateful they named him King and gave him the hand of marriage to the recently widowed Queen Jacosta. They had four children together, 2 sons Eteocles and Polynices, and two girls Antigone and Ismene.

11. Oedipus the King by Sophocles • Oedipus the King – The King discovers that he has killed his father Laius and married his own mother. This terrible abomination causes a plague to sweep the land. The citizens of Thebes beg the King to cleanse the area of its terrible secret and the King swears to find the root of their suffering. When the secret is publicly revealed his wife/mother commits suicide and Oedipus pokes his eyes out with the brooch from her dress. He holds his two daughters Antigone and Ismene in his arms and then is exiled forever from Thebes.

12. Oedipus at Colonus • Oedipus at Colonus - Oedipus becomes a wanderer, pursued by Creon and his men. He finally finds refuge at the holy wilderness right outside of Athens, where it is said that Theseus took care of him and his daughter, Antigone. Creon eventually catches up to Oedipus. He asks Oedipus to come back from Colonus to bless his son, Eteocles. Angry that his son did not care for him enough to take care of him, he curses both Eteocles and brother, condemning to sudden deaths. He died a peaceful death and his grave is said to be sacred to the gods.

13. Antigone by Sophocles • Antigone – When Oedipus stepped down he gave the kingdom to his two sons, Eteocles and Polynices, who both agreed to alternate the throne every year. However, they showed no concern for their father, who cursed them for their negligence. After the first year, Eteocles refused to step down and Polynices attacked Thebes with his supporters. Both brothers died in the battle. King Creon, who ascended to the throne of Thebes, decreed that Polynices was not to be buried, that he was a traitor. Antigone defies his order and buries her brother herself.