Oedipus Rex
Review
Author:
Sophocles (496-406 BC)
Wrote 125 Plays – only 8 survive
Introduced third actor on stage
Oedipus Cycle: Oedipus Rex, Oedipus at Colonus, Antigone – written at different times, Electra
Structure of Tragedy
Prologue: First Act
Parados: Entrance of the Chorus
Purpose of the chorus
Beauty of poetry and dancing in the odes
Interprets the events/ Sets a mood/ Considered the central theme of the drama
Relieve tension
Converses with and gives advice to characters
Gives background of preceding events
Episodes: Acts
Stasima: Choral Odes
Exodus: Action after the last stasimon
In Medias Res: “In the middle of”
Unity of action: Single action; no subjects
Unity of place: No change in scenery
Unity of time: Maximum of one day
No violent action before the audience – only reports of it are given to the audience
Characters of the Oedipus Trilogy: especially focus on those marked with an *
Haemon
Eteocles
Creon*
Eurydice
Ismene*
Tiresias*
Antigone*
Oedipus*
Sophocles*
Polyneices
Concepts:
The struggle for power and consequences
Family love - Responsibilities
Roles for men - For women
Choice between what is law and what is right
Roles/responsibilities of leadership
Prophecy
Role of the gods
Role of Fate and Human Choice
Tragic Hero
A belief in his own freedom/ making choices
A supreme pride
Capacity for suffering
A sense of commitment
Vigorous protest
Transfiguration: the suffering refines him
Impact: a deeper understanding of the condition of man
*Identify important events in the plot