...Sophocles Oedipus the King Translated by Ian Johnston Malaspina University-College Nanaimo, British Columbia Canada Richer Resources Publications Arlington, Virginia USA Sophocles Oedipus the King copyright 2007 by Richer Resources Publications All rights reserved Cover Art by Ian Crowe. No part of this book may be reproduced in whole or in part without express permission from the publisher except for brief excerpts in review. Reprint requests and requests for additional copies of this book should be addressed to Richer Resources Publications 1926 N. Woodrow Street Arlington, Virginia 22207 or via our web site at www.RicherResourcesPublications.com ISBN 978-0-9797571-1-2 Library of Congress Control Number 2007931684 Published by Richer Resources Publications Arlington, Virginia Printed in the United States of America 3 Translator's Note In the following text the numbers in square brackets refer to the Greek text; the numbers without brackets refer to the English text. In the line numbering for the translated text a short indented line is normally included with the short line above it. The translator would like to acknowledge the valuable help provided by Sir Richard Jebb’s translation and commentary. Background Note Sophocles (495 BC-405 BC) was a famous and successful Athenian writer of tragedies in his own lifetime. Of his 120 plays, only 7 have survived. Oedipus the King, also called Oedipus Tyrannos or Oedipus Rex, written around 420 BC, has long been...
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...English 11A 16 December 2013 The Downfall of Oedipus In the land of Thebes, King Laius and Queen Jocasta were granted the privilege to have a beautiful baby boy, but a prophecy of fate was told that the baby would grow old to kill his father and marry his mother. The Queen and King were shocked and decided that they could avoid the prophecy by pinning the baby’s ankles together and leaving the baby on a mountainside to die. They handed the baby to a shepherd to take him to the mountain, but the shepherd felt remorse for the child and handed him off to a messenger to take him as far away from Thebes as possible. The baby was brought to a town called Corinth, where he became the baby of the King and Queen and was from then on known as Oedipus. Years later on a late night, a drunken man had blurted something out. It was something that bothered Oedipus; something that he tried not to think about, but he could not forget. It was the prophecy that had once determined his death; it had come back to haunt him. He did not want to take his chances and left Corinth to later come across a group of men that he killed off. He arrived in Thebes and solved the riddle of the sphinx and became King. He married the Queen and had children as what was normal to do; but once again, the prophecy of his fate was said. He soon found out, that the prophecy was true, and gouged his eyes out and Jocasta killed herself due to embarrassment. In the play Oedipus Rex, by the Greek playwright Sophocles, Oedipus’s...
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...I answered the riddle with my own intelligence” (Sophocles, 1048). Oedipus made the sphinx read the riddle to him. Oedipus answers the riddle correctly and destroys the sphinx. Oedipus destroying the sphinx and getting rid of the plague over the city is another reason why Oedipus is a tragic hero. When Oedipus was just a baby, Oedipus’s parents sent him away to be murdered. Towards the end of the play, Sophocles begins telling readers Oedipus’s true birth story. Jocasta ends up marrying Oedipus and bearing his children, not knowing that Oedipus was her son. Jocasta finds out that she married her son and ends up hanging herself. Oedipus goes crazy and begins to stab out his eyes with two gold pins. Readers see that Oedipus has gone crazy when the prologue says, “You will not see the horrors I have suffered and done. Be dark forever now— eyes that saw those you should have never seen, and failed to recognize those you longed to see” (HDSCKJ). When Oedipus blinds himself with the two gold pins, readers see another one of Oedipus’s tragic defects, craziness. Oedipus the King is a play that is written in order to describe a tragic hero named Oedipus. Oedipus learns that his entire life was a lie. Oedipus learned that his parents were...
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...Oedipus Tyrannus. This is the question of fate versus free will. Or in the case of the Greeks, it corresponded to how much the gods may have meddled in their lives. At one point, Oedipus and Jocasta talk about whether prophecies from the Oracle at Delphi should be believed or not. During this conversation, Oedipus tells Jocasta about the prophecy he found out when he was young that he would kill his father and sleep with his own mother. Jocasta tells her of a similar prophecy that Laius was told about their son killing him. What is surprising is that Oedipus and Jocasta do not realize the remarkable coincidence about what they just told one another about those prophecies. Either they realize the possibility or they are blinded by the fact that they don’t believe either of those prophecies will come true. Sophocles could be inserting his own beliefs while writing this play. He could be trying to stress to everyone that the prophecies of the Oracle at Delphi are to be taken seriously. What is somewhat paradoxical in the play is that although it feels like Oedipus and his family had their fates pre-determined by the gods, the choices made by Laius, Jocasta and Oedipus themselves led directly to what happened. Was this all a part of some master plan by the gods? In hindsight, had Laius and Jocasta not taken the Oracle seriously and raised their son, the likelihood that Oedipus would have killed his father and slept with his mother, would have been greatly diminished – at least one...
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...Jocasta is the Queen of Thebes, but the title isn't as wonderful as it seems. By the little backshadowing the play provided, it seemed that Jocasta’s marriage with her first husband, King Laius, was happy. Until she found out about a prophecy that destined her husband to be killed by her own son and then she will marry the murderer himself. The couple were frighted by the prophecy so when their son was born, they abandoned him. They then went on with their lives, hoping to the gods that the vision was false but to only be wronged later on. Years later, King Laius was killed by ‘‘a band of thieves’’ or so everyone thought to believe. However thanks to our upper hand we know that, that ‘‘a band of thieves’’ was actually Oedipus. During the play, it showed Jocasta as critical towards the vision. In fact, during the play we see her praying to the God Apollo (god of prophecy and oracles, healing, and the protection of the young), and making offerings, asking for his protection. The play shows her more as a maybe more saintly character. Jocasta in this version of the play wore a blue mask, maybe a marble blue color. From what I remember her cheek bones stood out and that she had an almost permanent frown on her face. That maybe could’ve been made that way to tell the audience that she had a stressful few years. Jocasta is Queen to most, has 4 children (excluding Oedipus), and had married twice. Jocasta was after forgiveness in the play. She wanted forgiveness because she abandoned...
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...The audience knows the outcome of the story already, but the hero does not, making his actions seem ignorant or inappropriate in the face of what is to come. Dramatic irony plays an important part in Oedipus the King. Its story revolves around two different attempts to change the course of fate: Jocasta and Laius's killing of Oedipus at birth and Oedipus's flight from Corinth later on. In both cases, an oracle's prophecy comes true regardless of the characters' actions. Jocasta kills her son only to find him restored to life and married to her. Oedipus leaves Corinth only to find that in so doing he has found his real parents and carried out the oracle's words. Both Oedipus and Jocasta prematurely exult over the failure of oracles, only to find that the oracles were right after all. Each time a character tries to avert the future predicted by the oracles, the audience knows their attempt is futile, creating the sense of irony that permeates the play. Another feature of a good tragic story is one in which the protagonist is an intelligent person and a good thinker so he may learn from his mistakes. In his search for the truth, Oedipus shows himself to be a thinker, a man good at unraveling mysteries. This is the same characteristic...
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...Oedipus grew angry with the prophet and demanded that he leave his sight immediately. Oedipus seeks his wife, Jocasta, queen of Thebes, for advice. She encouraged her husband to ignore Tiresias and his prophecies. Jocasta explained that a prophet once advised her that Laius, her former husband, would be murdered by their son. As far as Jocasta knew, the prophecy of her son killing her husband did not come true because the baby they had, died, and Laius was murdered by a group of thieves at a...
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...Realizing the truth he blinded himself, Jocasta committed suicide and he was left to endure the harsh punishment of exile. Now was it fate that drove him to this horrible predicament or his own actions. In the play, fate drove the major events of Oedipus’s life, which in turn was driven by the god’s actions, but Oedipus’s short term decisions did change the details of his life. This was because the prophecies were fulfilled even though they were resisted. His short term decisions and curiosity sped up his demise. And the situation seemed to be punishment or lesson for something, most likely Oedipus’s arrogance. First off, fate played the largest role in the story because the prophecies were fulfilled even overcoming anything they tried to do to stop the prophecy from happening. Both...
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...R Raimey 28 November 2011 In the dictionary, blindness is defined as unable to see; lacking the sense of sight; but the second definition of blindness is defined as, unwilling or unable to perceive or understand. As read in the play, blindness is seen as a central theme. Not speaking of only physical blindness, but blindness as to understanding what’s in front of Oedipus. His flaws and the exposure of the truth bring about his downfall. Since he is of high rank, he believes things he wants to believe. In the play titled, “Oedipus the King,” by Sophocles, he uses physical blindness and mental blindness to show Oedipus' status as an unfortunate hero. While Oedipus is trying to find Laius’ murderer, Creon comes to him with news from Apollo. Creon says that Apollo wants them to clearly “drive the corruption from the land (620)…” With that, Oedipus sends for the blind prophet by the name of Tiresias who “… sees with the eyes of Lord Apollo…” to help him find the killer (625). When Tiresias tells Oedipus “[he is] the murderer that [he] hunt[s] (627), Oedipus still does not understand even though Tiresias has told him in three different ways. He cannot see himself as someone that would murder a king and bring a plague to the city. He thinks of himself as the one who came to Thebes’ rescue and drove the plague away. In addition, Oedipus knows that Tiresias cannot be wrong, because he is a psychic; he has no incentive to lie. Furthermore, when Tiresias tells Oedipus that “[He is] the...
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...of which he has done. Diving even deeper, he is saying that he is blinded by guilt and shame for he cannot see any of the people or material objects which he once saw as good without his regrets soiling his compassion. For example, Oedipus cannot look upon his children, which he once saw as magnificent, because they remind him of how they are the spawns of his contorted marriage. This knowledge that he will never see his loved ones in the same light again because of his own wrong doings brings tremendous pain to Oedipus. Oedipus’ lack of knowledge regarding his relationship with Jocasta – his wife as well as his mother – as well as his contribution to the murder of his father – the previous king – allows him to live a luxurious life without regrets. However, once Oedipus discovers the truth, he is tortured by the pain of knowing that he married his own mother and killed his own father. Once Jocasta, Oedipus’ mother/wife, heard that the rumors were true, she ran into her bedroom and hung herself. Oedipus, immediately after finding Jocasta’s body “hanging by the neck, / cradled high in a woven noose, spinning, / swinging back and forth…(ripped) off her brooches, the long gold pins / holding her robes – and lifting them high, / looking straight up into the points, / he (dug) them down the sockets of his eyes…His voice like a dirge, rising, over and over / raising the pins, raking them down his eyes. / And at each stroke blood spurts form the roots, / splashing his beard, a swirl...
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...that certain people could access this information. In the play, Oedipus the King, Prophets or seers, like blind Tiresias, saw visions of things to come. At the end of scene one, Teiresias exclaims, “To the children with whom he lives now he will be brother and father-the very same; to her who bore him, son and husband-the very same who came to his father’s bed, wet with his father’s blood (1077).” This is a restatement of the prophecy that told of Oedipus murdering his father, becoming king, and marrying his mother. King Laius of Thebes receives a prophecy saying that he would have a son by Queen Jocasta, and that his “doom would be death at the hands of his own son (1081).” King Laius, Jocasta, and Oedipus all work to prevent the prophecies from coming to pass, but their efforts to thwart the prophecies are what actually bring the prophecies to completion. Laius and Jocasta had even “pierced the baby’s ankles and left him to die on a lonely mountainside (1081).” Oedipus flees Corinth in order to protect Polybos and Merope, who he believes are his biological parents, from the dreaded prophecy. When Oedipus flees Corinth, what he doesn’t know is he is actually on the track to fulfill the prophecy. On the...
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...predominantly superior to women, yet some of the women in the stories transgressed their roles in society to their own. The roles of women in Greek society were very similar to the roles of women all around the world. Their role in society was to be the care takers and was known as nothing more than a child bearer and object of sex. They were portrayed as weaker and obedient to men. In Sophocles play of Antigone, Antigone’s sister says, "We who are women should not contend with men; we who are weak are ruled by the stronger. . . Pardon me if I obey our rulers since I must" (Sophocles, Antigone 61-66). This shows us how typical women act and believe in Greek society. In Oedipus the King, the inferiority of women is shown through the portrayal of Jocasta, being shown as the weaker sex. As we have learned from history, in these Greek plays, the women were played by men, showing that they did not trust women because of the presumed inability to do so or they believed that they were not mentally capable. This is shown in the line "Go, one of you, and bring the shepherd here. Let us leave this woman to brag of her royal name."(Sophocles, Oedipus the King, 749), as said by Oedipus. This line suggests that women of high power just brag about what they have, even though they are...
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...plague to end, the murderer has to be exiled. Later, Creon tells the audience about Laius’s killing and Oedipus becomes determined to find out who the killer was. Afterward, Tiresias comes, Oedipus asks him to divulge the murderer. So Tiresias accuses Oedipus of being Laius’s murderer. Oedipus then accuses him of conspiracy along with Creon because he is extremely irate at the accusation made against him since he believes that it is all a lie. Creon later comes to defend himself against Oedipus’s accusations. They are talking when Oedipus’s wife, Jocasta enters and helps him calm down and try to forget what her brother said to him. They then begin talking about Laius’s death, and Oedipus realizes that he might truly be Laius’s murderer. He then asks Jocasta to call the only witness of the murder to come. A messenger arrives informing everyone that Oedipus’s father, Polybus has recently died, and if Oedipus could rule in Corinth. Jocasta and Oedipus then get excited because they realize that his father died of age, and not because Oedipus killed him. After talking about it some more, the messenger reveals to Oedipus that Polybus was not his real father. Oedipus then finds out that he was found by the messenger, and because of an Old Man, Oedipus realizes that he was Laius’s...
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...was in its prime, a society ahead of its time. Back then, theater was exceptionally popular, drawing up to 17,000 spectators a showing. Theaters were built all over and were glorious works of art alone. Theater was more then what we would consider going to see a movie or a sporting event; it was both a religious and civic occasion. Greek plays were only shown twice a year at religious festivals. These plays had deep meaning to them and portrayed an important myth or legendary event. One of the greatest and most popular Greek plays written is “Oedipus the King”, written by Sophocles. Although he never won a prize for the play, it has proven to be influential in many ways. Oedipus was born to the king and queen of Thebes, Laius and Jocasta. His parents were contacted by an oracle who told them that their son would kill Laius and marry his mother. Laius tied Oedipus’s feet together and gave it to a servant of the kind, the Sheppard, to kill. The Sheppard took pity on the child and gave him to another Sheppard to bring up on his own. This man gave the child to King Polybus and queen Merope of Corinth. Oedipus knows none of this and he thinks these two are his true parents. When a drunken man told him that they are not his parents, he went to Delphi to seek the truth. Apollo refused to reveal the answer to what he was seeking. However, he did tell him that it was his fate to make love with his own mother and shed his own father’s blood, he fled from Corinth. He ran towards a...
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...The second example as to when Oedipus, Laius, and Jocasta encountered the force of inevitability was when Oedipus was when Jocasta explained the story as to what happened to Laius. Laius and Jocasta had a child together. Apollo warned Laius that his son was going to kill him. “An oracle came to Laius one day and it said that doom would strike him down at the hands of a son, our son, to be born of our flesh and blood (Oed lines 784-788)”. Apollo also revealed that the Laius’ and Jocasta’s son was going to sleep with his mother and have children with his mother. Jocasta and Laius believed that committing any action will prevent the prophecy and the message that Apollo said. Jocasta and Laius believe that the prophecy can be wrong on numerous...
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