The Tragedy of the Royal
House of Thebes
Outline Notes
 Sophocles: Greek Playwright
 Circa 495 – 406 BC
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The Three Plays of the
Oedipus Cycle
Oedipus
the King
Oedipus at Colonus
Antigone
Written circa 411 BC
Antigone is the third play in the trilogy, but Sophocles wrote it
before he wrote the other two plays.
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Important Cities
Pay attention to the next two maps.
 Look for the following cities:
Thebes
Delphi
Corinth
Argos
Region of Boeotia
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The Origin of
The Royal House of Thebes
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The Oracle of Apollo at Delphi
Apollo was the god of Truth and Prophecy
The Oracle was the priestess Pythia.
She could communicate with Apollo and provide
humans with a prediction of their fates.
• Although her prophecies were destined to come
true, her messages often consisted of
incomplete information, and what she said was
confusing for humans to completely understand.
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Apollo
and
The Temple at Delphi
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Temple of Apollo at Didyma
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Treasury of the Athenians at Delphi
An Example of Greek Architecture
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Cadmus
The First King of Thebes
 Cadmus
and his sister Europa were
the children of Agenor I, the king of
Phoenicia.
 Cadmus and Europa were
descendants of the god Zeus (his
great-great grandchildren).
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Zeus
and Zeus Fighting a Titan
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Background:
The Founding of Thebes
 The princess Europa disappeared from the
coasts of Phoenicia on the back of a bull
(Zeus in disguise had kidnapped her).
 Agenor I, sent Cadmus in search of Europa,
telling him not to return until he had found
his sister.
 However, nothing was ever found of her,
except for the name of the land called
Europa. (She had been left by Zeus (the bull) upon the shore by
Mount Dicte in Crete.)
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The Abduction of Europa
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What Cadmus Did:
Cadmus searched for Europa but could not
find her.
 Cadmus in his wanderings came to Delphi.
There the oracle told him to buy an ox
which had a moon-shaped mark on its
side, and to drive it before him. Where it
lay down, it was fated that Cadmus would
found a city and rule as its king.
 He settled in Boeotia (named for the ox),
and founded in this new land the city of
Cadmea, later called Thebes.
 These events took place approximately
200 years before the Trojan War.
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Ares’ Serpent
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When the place for the new city was determined,
Cadmus decided to sacrifice the ox to the
goddess Athena.
He sent some of his men to draw water from a
spring (later called Dirce) belonging to Ares (the
god of war).
The spring was guarded by a serpent or dragon
which was the sacred offspring of Ares.
Ares’ dragon had a golden crest, flashed fire from
its eyes, had a triple tongue, teeth ranged in
triple rows, and its body was swollen with poison.
It devoured Cadmus' men.
Cadmus confronted the dragon and killed it.
Athena told him to plant the dragon’s teeth in the
earth.
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Cadmus and the Serpent
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Athena
Goddess of wisdom, war strategies, the defense of cities, heroic
endeavor, weaving, pottery and other crafts, domestic arts, agriculture,
the olive tree, and Athens. She was depicted as crowned with a crested
helm, armed with shield and spear, and wearing the snake-trimmed
Aegis cloak wrapped around her breast and arm, adorned with the head
of the Gorgon. She was born fully grown from the head of Zeus.
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The Sparti
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From the sown teeth sprang forth armed men
(Sparti) who began fighting and killing each
other.
Five of them survived the massacre.
The five Sparti had supernatural powers with
which they helped Cadmus build the new city.
The Sparti were the progenitors of the following
generations of citizens of Thebes.
Cadmus married Harmonia. Together they ruled
Thebes as its first King and Queen
The Fate of Cadmus and Harmonia
Cadmus and Harmonia were turned into serpents
because he had killed the dragon of Ares.
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Cadmus and Harmonia are turned
into Snakes
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Time to skip a few generations to
focus on the important part of the
story.
 Cadmus
founded the city of Thebes
 The throne of a city was passed on
the eldest male heir.
 Women could not be rulers in Greek
society.
 Cadmus’ son was Polydorus.
 Polydorus’ son was Labdacus.
 Labdacus’ son was Laius.
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House of Thebes Family Tree (edited)
Yes, write this in your notes.
Zeus = Io
Epaphus
Poseidon = Lybia
Agenor
Cadmus = Harmonia
Europa (= Zeus)
Polydorus (son of Cadmus)
Labdacus (son of Polydorus)
Laius (son of Labdacus)
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House of Thebes Family Tree
(continued)
Labdacus
Menoeceus I
(Great-Grandchild
of Cadmus)
Laius = Jocasta
Oedipus
Creon = Eurydice
Haemon
Menoeceus II
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King Laius:
A Curse on the House of
Thebes
 Prior to becoming the King of Thebes, Laius lived in
exile in Peloponnesus, hosted by King Pelops I.
 Laius fell in love with Pelops' illegitimate son
Chryssipus II.
 Laius abducted Chryssipus and was eventually
arrested by Chryssipus’ half brothers.
 However, Pelops did not wish to punish a man on
account of his love.
 The gods took exception to the abduction (not to Laius’
love for Chryssipus) and set a curse on Laius that
would last for three generations.
 Chryssipus was eventually murdered by the queen,
who wanted her own sons to inherit the throne.
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Laius’ Abduction of Chryssipus
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Laius’ Return to Thebes
 Laius returned to Thebes as its rightful king with
Jocasta (a distant cousin), daughter of Menoeceus I
as his queen.
 Laius wanted to know if he would have an heir to the
throne.
 The Oracle of Apollo at Delphi warned him not to have
a son because that son was fated to kill his own father.
 But Laius disregarded the oracle (further grounds for
him to be punished by the gods) and eventually he
and Jocasta conceived a son.
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Laius Attempts to Change his Fate
In his fear that the Oracle’s prophecy would
come true, Laius plotted to kill his son.
Laius ordered a shepherd to take the baby and
bind (or bolt) the baby’s feet so he could not
walk, and then take the child to the mountains
and abandon it.
In this plot, Laius thought that he could not be
accused of killing the child because he did not
directly do it himself.
The shepherd did as he was told,
except . . .
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Oedipus is Rescued
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Instead of abandoning the baby, Laius’ shepherd
gave it to another shepherd, who in turn took
the child to the city of Corinth.
There, King Polybus adopted the child as his
own son.
The child was named Oedipus.
Oedipus means “swollen foot.” His feet had
swollen because they had been so tightly bound
together. (Another version of the story indicates
that his ankles had been riveted together with a
bolt.)
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Oedipus Becomes and Adult
He encountered a drunkard on the street who
told him that Oedipus was not the true son of
the king, and that he could not inherit the
throne of Corinth.
 Oedipus went to the Oracle of Apollo at Delphi
and learned bad news and worse news:
1. You are going to kill your father.
2. You are going to marry your mother.

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Banished from Corinth
 Continuing
to believe that Polybus was his
real father, Oedipus attempted to change
his fate by vowing to banish himself from
Corinth, never to return, so that he could
not harm his father or mother.
 He was man without a homeland. He
wandered Greece as he tried to determine
what he should do.
 But as fate would have it . . .
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Battle at the Crossroad
 He came to a crossroad where he
encountered an old man in a chariot and
his five guards.
 A conflict ensued between Oedipus and
the old man regarding who had the right to
pass.
 Neither would relinquish, swords were
drawn, and a battle ensued.
 Oedipus killed the old man and four of his
guards.
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 The fifth guard escaped and fled.
Meanwhile, Back in Thebes
The guard returned to the Palace of
Thebes to reveal the news that King Laius
had been murdered by a band of robbers.
 As Laius had no heir to the throne because
he had disposed of his only son, Creon,
the brother of Jocasta, the Queen, became
the acting regent. (Women were not
allowed to be in positions of power.)
 The first part of Oedipus’ fate had been
fulfilled. He has unknowingly killed his
father.

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The Sphinx Asks a Riddle
As if the death of the king were not bad enough,
Thebes had another problem to deal with. A
Sphinx had begun to terrorize the city.
 The Sphinx is creature that has the body of a
lion, the upper torso of a woman, and it has
wings.
 The Sphinx asked all passersby a riddle. If the
person could not answer the riddle, the Sphinx
strangled the victim, and then ate the body.
 Sphinx means “the strangler.”

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Oedipus and the Sphinx
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Creon’s Proclamation
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Creon had to save the city, so he
proclaimed that anyone who could save
Thebes from the Sphinx would be
rewarded:
1. The hero would become the king of
Thebes.
2. He would marry Queen Jocasta.
Along came Oedipus, who had heard of
the offer. Being a man without a country,
he had nothing to lose, so he accepted the
challenge and approached the Sphinx.
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The Riddle and the Prize
What goes on four feet in the morning, on
two at noon, and on three in the evening?
 Oedipus answered the question:
 The answer is man: At birth, he crawls,
as an adult he walks upright on two feet,
and as an old man he walks with a cane.
 The Sphinx threw itself from a cliff and
died.
 Oedipus became the King of Thebes.
 Oedipus married his mother, Jocasta, and
unknowingly fulfilled the second part of his
fate.

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Happy Family
 Oedipus
and Jocasta successfully
ruled Thebes for many years.
 They had four children
Twin sons,
Eteocles and Polyneices
and
Two daughters,
Antigone and Ismene
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House of Thebes Family Tree
(completed)
Laius = Jocasta
Oedipus = Jocasta
Creon = Eurydice
Haemon
Menoeceus II
Eteocles Polyneices Ismene Antigone*
* Haemon and Antigone
are engaged to be
married.
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More Bad News
Thebes began to suffer from a Plague and a
Famine
Oedipus had to save the city, so he sent Creon
to the Oracle of Apollo at Delphi to find out what
had to be done.
The Oracle told Creon that Thebes could only be
saved by revealing the killer of King Laius.
Oedipus began his investigation and little by
little, the facts came out, but Oedipus’ pride
would not allow him to accept the testimony of
his witnesses.
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The Truth and its Consequences
Ultimately, the two shepherds who had
been involved in Laius’ plot to kill his son
came forth and revealed their roles, and
the truth that Oedipus was, in fact, the
son of Laius, and that Jocasta was his
mother.
 Jocasta, in her shame, hanged herself.
 Oedipus, in his shame, took the two
brooches from Jocasta’s gown and
plunged the pins into his eyes, thus
blinding himself from the vision of what he
had done.
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Oedipus
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The Final Curse
Oedipus promised to banish himself from Thebes,
never to return.
Antigone accompanied him on his journey; Ismene
stayed in Thebes to look after his affairs.
Polyneices and Eteocles despised their father for
what he had done, even though it was not his fault.
They cursed their father and kicked him out of the
city.
As Oedipus left Thebes, he cursed his sons and
told them that their inheritance would be divided by
the sword.
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A Kingdom Divided
Creon once again served as Regent of Thebes
until Oedipus died and Eteocles and Polyneices
were old enough to rule.
Because they were twins, Eteocles and
Polyneices agreed to share the throne by ruling
in alternate years.
Eteocles would rule for the first year, then
Polyneices would take over for the second year.
At the end of the first year, Eteocles refused to
give up the throne to his brother, and banished
Polyneices from Thebes.
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Polyneices Retaliates
Polyneices went to the city of Argos and
acquired the aid of the Argive armies.
Seven armies with seven chieftains
returned to Thebes and attacked its gates.
Because the ancestors of Thebes were
related to Zeus, he assisted in the defense
of Thebes by hurling thunderbolts at the
Argives.
The Argive armies were defeated and
Thebes was victorious.
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During the Battle
Creon’s son, Menoeceus II sacrificed his
life so that Thebes could win the war.
Eteocles and Polyneices met face-to-face
on the battlefield and mortally wounded
each other.
Because there were no more male heirs to
the throne, Creon was once again in
charge of Thebes as regent.
His wife, Eurydice, became the queen.
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Creon’s Edicts
Because Eteocles was a hero who defended
Thebes from its attackers, he would be buried
with full funeral rites and honors.
 Because Polyneices was a traitor to Thebes, his
body would be left on the battlefield to be eaten
by dogs and vultures. Also, all of the bodies of
the dead Argives would be left on the battlefield
to rot.
 Anyone who tried to bury the body of Polyneices
against Creon’s order would be put to death by
stoning.
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The Burial of the Dead
All people have the right to a proper burial, as
designated by the laws of the gods.
 The souls of the unburied are not allowed to
enter Hades, and are destined to walk the earth
in torment.
 Burial would include the application of sacred
oils to cleanse the body, a casting of earth upon
the body, and cremation upon a pyre.
 One of the worst disgraces a person could suffer
would be to remain unburied.

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And so the play Antigone begins
The Characters
Creon: acting King of Thebes
Eurydice: his wife
Haemon: their son, and fiancé of Antigone
Antigone and Ismene: the daughters of Oedipus
The Chorus and Leader: represent the voices of the
citizens of Thebes and serve as advisors to Creon
A Sentry: charged with guarding the body of Polyneices
A Messenger
Tiresias: the blind prophet of Thebes who can predict
the future and interpret signs sent by the gods
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Greek Tragedy
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Performed during festivals worshipping Dionysus, the
god of wine, fertility, rebirth
Actors and playwrights competed
Choral -- singing seems to have been an important part
a chorus of men (varied in size form 3 to 50) -- many
think the choral song -- dithyramb-- was the
beginnings of Greek drama (but origins are unclear)
Closely associated with religion - stories based on myth
or history
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Some believe the chorus sang, moved, danced
Most believe the chorus underscored the ideas of the play, provided
point-of-view, and focused on issues of the play and implications of
the action, established the play's ethical system, and participated in
the action
Violence and death offstage
Frequent use of messengers to relate information
Usually continuous time of action
Usually single place
Stories based on myth or history, but varied interpretations of
events
Focus is on psychological and ethical attributes of characters, rather
than physical and sociological.
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Greek Masks
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A Greek mask is a kind of mask used to conceal an actor's or
actress' face during a Greek theater performance. This practice is
extremely useful for the following reasons:
There were times when a single actor or actress had to play more
than one character in the script. This was easily achieved through
the use of masks instead of superfluous and over-the-top
makeup.
During those times, women were forbidden from participating in
theater roles. Greek masks helped conceal the men's faces while
they played the female parts, suspending disbelief.
There was a theory that masks helped accentuate the actor's or
actress' voice during a stage performance. This is yet to be proven
though.
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Examples of Tragic Masks
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The Elements of Greek Tragedy
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Tragedy is meant to reaffirm the fact that life is worth living,
regardless of the suffering or pain that is part of human
existence.
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Tragedies are about people in conflict with the universe.
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Tragedies are always about spiritual or philosophical conflicts,
never about every day events.
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Tragic actions arise from a character's inner conflict.
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Do not confuse the concept of Greek Tragedy with the modern
use of the word “tragic,” which is often used to describe events
that we think of as being sad or unfortunate. Although
characters may die in Greek Tragedies, the tragedy arises from
the protagonist’s poor choices which result from his tragic flaw.
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Catharsis
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The protagonist's actions should arouse feelings of both
pity and fear in the audience.
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Pity because the protagonist is better than we are, so we
place ourselves into his position (empathy)
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Fear because we too do not know our future or fate.
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By the end of the play, the audience should be purged of
pity and fear, so they go through a catharsis.
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Catharsis = purgation of pity and fear
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The Greek Tragic Hero
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Is an uncommon man who possesses the
greatness to battle his own destiny. A tragic
protagonist must have magnitude; his struggles
are great because he is important to society.
Is a basically good and noble person who causes
his own downfall, and possibly that of others
around him, because of a tragic flaw.
He usually suffers from hubris (Pride) as shown
through hamartia (character flaw or error in
judgment).
He suffers from a reversal of fortune or fall from high
to low. He suffers a loss of dignity, as well as
suffering caused by the loss of loved ones.
He can never escape his fate, but he will insist
upon accepting fate on his own terms. He must
face the world alone.
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Hubris
 The
predominant type of tragic flaw.
 An exaggerated sense of pride or
self-confidence, often accompanied
by stubbornness and the refusal to
listen to the reason of others.
 Placing oneself in a position of
superiority over other.
 Hubris results in a tragic end or
punishment.
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Predetermined Fate
Each individual is born with a fate that is
determined by the gods at birth.
 One’s fate cannot be changed or avoided.
 Each person is given a personal allotment
of unavoidable suffering.
 The suffering is not necessarily tragic, but
is to be accepted as part of life.
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Freedom of Will and Action
 Each
person is expected to accept his
fate and fulfill it with dignity.
 Those who accept their fates should
suffer no more than their allotted
amount of suffering.
 The misuse of freedom to try to
change one’s fate may result in
additional suffering.
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