Before Jesus: The Sophocles Story
The protagonist, otherwise known as the main character, in this play is no one other than Oedipus himself. During a conversation with Creon, former ruler of Thebes, Oedipus cries, “drive me out of this country as quickly as may be to a place where no human voice can ever greet me” (50). This display of utter defeat was nowhere near his usual hot-headed, arrogant demeanor from earlier in the play, revealing a true protagonist character by undergoing the most change. The antagonist, unfortunately for him, would also be King Oedipus. Everyone in Thebes challenges the king at some point, but nobody can compare to the battle he fights with his inner self. While being told the news of the prophecy, Oedipus refuses to believe the oracle, “this prophet fraud, why, he is no more clairvoyant than I am!” (17), even though somewhere deep inside of him he knows the truth of what he did. The stock characters are simply defined by their role; for example, the shepherd is nothing more than a shepherd, the messengers are nothing but a vocalist for others, but most of all; the chorus. “The tyrant is a child of Pride who drinks from his great sickening cup, recklessness and vanity” (32), the chorus is simply the voice of the people, but you would be surprised the importance a group of people can have on their city.
The overall play is intense and anticipating, but a few key moments are set aside from the others. Tension rises right from the beginning, the city is dying and the Gods have spoken to Creon, saying that the plaque will only end if the murder of Laius, previous King, is banished from Thebes forever, “he was murdered; and Apollo commands us now to take revenge upon whoever killed him” (9). The point of highest tension is when the big secret is revealed, “cursing the wife who was not his wife, the mother whose womb had carried his own children and himself” (45). The prophecies were all true in the end, Oedipus accidently killed his own father, thinking it was a stranger, and marrying his own mother and having children with her. The play does not end on a happy note whatsoever, but continues to shock the audience repeatedly. Jocaste, Oedipus’ wife and mother, committed suicide and hanged herself after hearing the news. Shortly after, “the king ripped from her gown the golden brooches that were her ornament, and raised them, and plunged them down straight into his own eyeballs” (45). The play ends on a scene of the king facing his city and explaining all his faults, has one last moment with his kids, and he then banishes himself from the city forever so that the plaque may be vanquished.
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Oedipus the King is the second piece to a trilogy of plays written by the infamous Athenian dramatist, Sophocles. Born around 497/496 BCE and living to be around 90 years old, Sophocles fulfilled his life by getting married twice, having two sons, becoming the treasurer of Athena, and fighting as a general in the revolt on Samos. The plays from Oedipus Rex were praised by Aristotle himself, because Sophocles introduced dramatic irony and a psychological side to writing that most audiences in that era had not seen yet. Oedipus the King introduces unlikely protagonists and antagonists alike. The setting, symbols, and themes come together in a disturbingly right way, leaving the audience nothing but a wait to the dramatic heart-stopper of a climax.
The setting is, of course, in the beautiful city of Thebes, Greece, given away by the first line of the introduction, “before the palace of Oedipus, King of Thebes” (5). However, the time zone in which the play is meant is unknown, but can be predicted around 460 BCE, when Sophocles was in his thirties. The symbols given in this text are dramatic and thought provoking. Little hints are often thrown in to intrigue the audience and put more pieces into the puzzle. In the second scene, a Corinthian messenger and Oedipus have a talk about the kings’ real parents. At one point, the messenger states that he himself cut the bonds that tied baby Oedipus’ ankles together, “that was why you were given the name you bear” (37). The name Oedipus translates to “swollen foot”, a symbol in which destiny has scarred him and set him apart from everybody else, and also making him recognizable. Though there are multiple themes consistent in these plays, some stand out from the others. Ignoring the truth was one of the kings’ specialties, but who would want to believe that they slept with their mother. The people of Thebes believed in their king great amounts, “the noble plowland bears no grain and groaning mothers cannot bear” (11), but any noble man can be of injustice, as revealed later in the play. Overall, this play is craziness on a platter yet so incredibly intriguing. Oedipus the King changed my perspective on actively listening to other people, rather than just believing everything going on in your own head. People who believe they have a hard life should read this play, because I am pretty sure that Oedipus wins the “really effed up life” award, and if you are not having babies with your own mother and meanwhile stabbing your dad to death, then your life comes no where near as messed up as his. Cherish what you do have in life and stop focusing on the negative curve balls life is throwing you, it is going to happen anyway so you might as well enjoy the time you have now. |
Oedipus Rex by Tom Lehrer
From the Bible to the popular song
There's one theme that we find right along
Of all ideals they hail as good
The most sublime is motherhood
There was a man though, who it seems
Once carried this ideal to extremes
He loved his mother and she loved him
And yet his story is rather grim
There once lived a man named Oedipus Rex
You may have heard about his odd complex
His name appears in Freud's Index 'cause he
Loved his mother!
His rivals used to say quite a bit that
As a monarch he was most unfit,
But still and all they had to admit that he
Loved his Mother!
Yes he loved his mother like no other
His daughter was his sister
and his son was his brother
One thing on which you can depend is
He sure knew who a boy's best friend is
When he found what he had done
He tore his eyes out one by one
A tragic end to a loyal son who
Loved his mother
So be sweet and kind to Mother,
Now and then have a chat
Buy her candy or some flowers,
Or a brand new hat
But, maybe you had better let it go at that
Or you may find yourself with a quite complex complex
And
You may end up like Oedipus
(I'd rather marry a duck-billed platypus)
Then end up like old Oedipus Rex!
There's one theme that we find right along
Of all ideals they hail as good
The most sublime is motherhood
There was a man though, who it seems
Once carried this ideal to extremes
He loved his mother and she loved him
And yet his story is rather grim
There once lived a man named Oedipus Rex
You may have heard about his odd complex
His name appears in Freud's Index 'cause he
Loved his mother!
His rivals used to say quite a bit that
As a monarch he was most unfit,
But still and all they had to admit that he
Loved his Mother!
Yes he loved his mother like no other
His daughter was his sister
and his son was his brother
One thing on which you can depend is
He sure knew who a boy's best friend is
When he found what he had done
He tore his eyes out one by one
A tragic end to a loyal son who
Loved his mother
So be sweet and kind to Mother,
Now and then have a chat
Buy her candy or some flowers,
Or a brand new hat
But, maybe you had better let it go at that
Or you may find yourself with a quite complex complex
And
You may end up like Oedipus
(I'd rather marry a duck-billed platypus)
Then end up like old Oedipus Rex!