oedipus

The sanctuary at Delphi. In the foreground you can see the temple of Apollo, where people came to consult the oracle. Above and to your right of the temple is the theater.

Click to see an image of the Theater of Dionysos in Athens.

Sophocles' Oedipus the King

Sophocles

One of the three great tragedians of Classical Athens

Some conditions of the production/performance to consider:

Ritual context: City Dionysia
Civic context: civic ceremonies performed in the theater of Dionysos prior to the production of the tragedies (you will want to know what these four ceremonies are!).
Historical context: Peloponnesian Wars and plague
Philosophical context: conflict between the so-called New Intellectualism (sometimes referred to under the rubric of "Sophism" and traditional religion/education

Oedipus the myth

Sophocles does NOT tell the myth in chronological order. Instead, Sophocles dramatizes Oedipus' process of discovery, after the oracles have all come to pass. . .

Sophocles' Oedipus the King

**Pay particular attention to the prologue and the potential resonance with the theater audience. Any resonance with the Iliad also?
Sophocles exploits elements of the myth (Oedipus' ankles were 'pinned' at birth and, upon discovery of his identity, Oedipus puts out his eyes with a 'pin') and the possible meanings of Oedipus' name (Mr. Know-foot or Mr. Swollen-foot) by using feet and eyes as a driving motif in dramatizing Oedipus' gradual and painful coming to see the path he has been limping inexorably along.
Pollution is the idea among ancients that someone guilty of a heinous crime could 'infect' those around him or her; pollution could be expiated by blood or exile.
Irony: the contrast between what the audience knows and what the character thinks he knows.
Pay attention to how the play resonates with its contexts: religious, civic, historical, and philosophical (e.g. a plague of unknown cause, the chorus's response to the plague, Oedipus' growing disdain for divine access to knowledge through oracles, etc.)

Questions to ponder**

What was it like to see Oedipus the King in Athens. . . in 429 or 425 BCE. . . following the opening ceremonies. . .? If Oedipus can be charged with insolence, or, arrogance (hybris), can the Athenians also?
The controlling image of the play is the interplay of light and dark, seeing and not seeing, knowing and not knowing. The one who thinks he sees is blind; only the blind see. But does the audience "see"? If the audience is confident that they see/know, what are the chances that they are actually blind?
What are the mysterious forces behind Oedipus' suffering and misfortune? Is it Apollo, as Oedipus alleges, or something more profound and unseen that the oracle only reveals to the blind?
It is sometimes claimed that Sophocles' dramatic questions are fueled by a conservation reaction to Sophism. Now that you have read Oedipus the King, what do YOU think? If he is presenting a conservative reaction, does he go so far as to take the side of the Chorus when it proclaims that the gods are just and (justly) punish arrogance (in other words, does the play leave the audience comforted that Oedipus' misfortune constitutes just punishment?)

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Sophocles	One of the three great tragedians of Classical Athens
	Some conditions of the production/performance to consider: Ritual context: City Dionysia Civic context: civic ceremonies performed in the theater of Dionysos prior to the production of the tragedies (you will want to know what these four ceremonies are!). Historical context: Peloponnesian Wars and plague Philosophical context: conflict between the so-called New Intellectualism (sometimes referred to under the rubric of "Sophism" and traditional religion/education
Oedipus the myth	Sophocles does NOT tell the myth in chronological order. Instead, Sophocles dramatizes Oedipus' process of discovery, after the oracles have all come to pass. . .
Sophocles' Oedipus the King	*Pay particular attention to the prologue and the potential resonance with the theater audience. Any resonance with the Iliad* also? Sophocles exploits elements of the myth (Oedipus' ankles were 'pinned' at birth and, upon discovery of his identity, Oedipus puts out his eyes with a 'pin') and the possible meanings of Oedipus' name (Mr. Know-foot or Mr. Swollen-foot) by using feet and eyes as a driving motif in dramatizing Oedipus' gradual and painful coming to see the path he has been limping inexorably along. Pollution is the idea among ancients that someone guilty of a heinous crime could 'infect' those around him or her; pollution could be expiated by blood or exile. Irony: the contrast between what the audience knows and what the character thinks he knows.** Pay attention to how the play resonates with its contexts: religious, civic, historical, and philosophical (e.g. a plague of unknown cause, the chorus's response to the plague, Oedipus' growing disdain for divine access to knowledge through oracles, etc.)
Questions to ponder	What was it like to see Oedipus the King in Athens. . . in 429 or 425 BCE. . . following the opening ceremonies. . .? If Oedipus can be charged with insolence, or, arrogance (hybris), can the Athenians also? The controlling image of the play is the interplay of light and dark, seeing and not seeing, knowing and not knowing. The one who thinks he sees is blind; only the blind see. But does the audience "see"? If the audience is confident that they see/know, what are the chances that they are actually blind? What are the mysterious forces behind Oedipus' suffering and misfortune? Is it Apollo, as Oedipus alleges, or something more profound and unseen that the oracle only reveals to the blind? It is sometimes claimed that Sophocles' dramatic questions are fueled by a conservation reaction to Sophism. Now that you have read Oedipus the King, what do YOU think? If he is presenting a conservative reaction, does he go so far as to take the side of the Chorus when it proclaims that the gods are just and (justly) punish arrogance (in other words, does the play leave the audience comforted that Oedipus' misfortune constitutes just punishment?)