Pity the Man? Sophocles’ Oedipus at Colonus 1. Agenda Recap and Update OAC Intro, Background, etc....
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Transcript of Pity the Man? Sophocles’ Oedipus at Colonus 1. Agenda Recap and Update OAC Intro, Background, etc....
Pity the Man?
Sophocles’ Oedipus at Colonus 1
Agenda
• Recap and Update• OAC Intro, Background, etc.
• Tragedy in Performance• “A Little to the Left?” (What’s Oedipus stepped into?)
• Oedipal Reversals• OTK to OAC. . .
• Have Things Changed?• Character, Moral Climate
Tragedy in Performance
“A Little to the Left?”—What’s Oedipus stepped into? (Penguin trans. pp. 292–295)
Have Things Changed?
Character, Moral Climate
5Sophocles Oedipus at Colonus
Have Things Changed?(And if so, How?)
Has the moral climate changed?
Is Oedipus still tragic?Was he ever tragic?
25-Oct 2011
Sophocles’ Oedipus the King, cont’d
Eros, Tyrants, hubris, Knowledge
Erōs and the Tyrant
Eros9-Mar-15
8Sophocles Oedipus the King
Rite of Passage
• Separation• Transition• Incorporation
Arnold van Gennep, Les rites de passage (Paris, 1909)
9-Mar-15
Oedipus’ Reverse Rite of Passage
Oedipus
sight-ignorance-incorporation
blindness-knowledge-separation
transition
“I count myself the son of Chance,”
(Oedipus, p. 224)
10Sophocles Oedipus the King
Oedipus-pharmakos (“scapegoat”)
Oedipus, p. 244:“Quickly, for the love of god, hide me somewhere, kill me, hurl me into the sea where you can never look on me again.”
9-Mar-15
Sophocles’ Oedipus the King
Introduction to Play
12Sophocles Oedipus at Colonus
Sophocles, “Theban Plays”
• Playwright• ca. 496-ca. 406 BCE• first victory 468
• Plays – dates• Antigone, ca. 441• Oedipus the King, after
429• Oedipus at Colonus, ca.
406
• Plays – story order• Oedipus the King• Oedipus at Colonus• Antigone
Thebes
25-Oct 2011
13Sophocles Oedipus at Colonus
Production, Historical Context
• War with Sparta: 431–404• Oligarchic revolution: 411/10• Colonus cavalry skirmish, 410 (407?)
Story OrderOedipus the King (after 429)Oedipus at Colonus (ca. 406)Antigone (ca. 442)
Compositional OrderAntigone (ca. 442)Oedipus the King (ca. 429?)Oedipus at Colonus (ca. 406)
25-Oct 2011
prologue (pp. 284 ff.)Oed, Ant, Citizenidentity, positioning
parodos (291)amoibaion (chorus-character dialogue)Chorus, Oed, Antsupplication
1st episode A (298)leader, Oed, Ismene, Ant
amoibaion (314)Chorus, OedOed’s crimes (?)
1st episode B (318)Leader, Theseus, Oedsupplication, negotiation
1st stasimon (326)praise (Colonus, Athens)
2nd episode (328)Ant, Oed, Leader, Creon, Theseustussle over Oed
2nd stasimon (348)victory song
3rd episode (350)Leader, Oed, Ant, Thesleave-taking begins
3rd stasimon (358)the human condition
4th episode A (359)Ant, Oed, Polya father’s curse
amoebic kommos, dialogue (371)Chorus, Oed, Antportents
4th episode B (373)Thes, Oed
4th stasimon (377)prayers for Oed
exodos (378)spoken dialogue, lyric kommosmessenger, leader, Ant, Ismene, ThesOed’s demise, lament, consolation
Analysis
Stage Set, “Colonus Hippius”
skene (stage building)
To UnderworldOlive grove
Equestrian statue
to Thebes Altar of Athena Hippia,Poseidon Hippios
Source: Wiles Tragedy in Athens
to Athens
Some Plot Variants
Sophocles Oedipus at Colonus Other…
Prior to action of play, Oedipus, after big reveal, seeks to be killed. When calms down, is allowed to live on at Thebes. Later, Thebes exiles him.
Oedipus remains in Thebes and is buried there (Soph. Antigone, Homer, Euripides)Oedipus goes into self-imposed exile at end of OTK.
Prior to action of play, Jocasta (Oedipus’ mother) has Antigone, Ismene, Eteocles, Polynices by Oedipus. Hangs self at end of OTK (OAC prequel).
Jocasta kills self when incest revealed. Oedipus then remarries and has a new family (Antigone etc.)Jocasta lives on with Oedipus at Thebes (Euripides Phoenician Women).