a tragic myth – house of thebes myth – old story rooted in a particular society that explains a...
TRANSCRIPT
A Tragic Myth – House of A Tragic Myth – House of ThebesThebesMyth – old story rooted in a
particular society that explains a belief, ritual or some mysterious aspect of nature
Some try to explain human suffering
May explain suffering in terms of the workings of the gods –fate that cannot be avoided or curses that haunt generation after generation
He will kill his father and He will kill his father and marry his mothermarry his mother
King Lais and Queen Jocasta of Thebes had a son
They learned from an oracle that the child would kill his father and marry his mother
They gave baby to shepherd with orders to leave the infant to die on the mountain
Laios and Jocasta story Laios and Jocasta story continuedcontinuedShepherd couldn’t do thatGave child to a Corinthian
shepherdShepherd gave baby to the
childless king and queen of Corinth
Named him Oedipus
Oedipus the young manOedipus the young manHe learned about the prophecy
when a young manHorrified; thought king and
queen of Corinth were his parentsHe ran away from home in horrorLonely wandering occurred
Encounter with old manEncounter with old manMet an arrogant old man who tried
to run him off the road with his chariot
Honor was at stakeThey foughtOedipus killed the stranger
(probably not unusual at this time )Thought nothing of it, continued his
journey to Thebes
Meeting Monster SphinxMeeting Monster SphinxEncounters Sphinx – monster with
wings of an eagle, body of lion and breasts and face of a woman
Sphinx had been ambushing travelers going to Thebes; Thebes was under seige, famine was near at hand
Must answer a riddle before proceeding; if can’t they would be devoured by the monster
The RiddleThe RiddleWhat creature goes on four legs
in the morning, two legs in the afternoon and three legs in the evening
Answer: Man who crawls on all fours as an infant, walks on two legs as an adult, and leans on a cane in old age
Reaction of SphinxReaction of SphinxOedipus answered correctly
The sphinx Leaped off a high rock
Thebes was saved
HeroHero’’s Welcome in Thebess Welcome in ThebesThebes – unknown to Oedipus- the
city where he was bornWelcomed as their saviorThebans offered Oedipus the throne
and Jocasta his bride (king was recently killed)
So he married Jocasta, had four children
Children of OedipusChildren of OedipusPolyneices, EteoclesAntigoneIsmene
All goes well for many years then…
Problems at homeProblems at homePlague struckPeople, crops, and animals dyingOedipus was desperate to find
out why his country was having so many problems
Oedipus sent Jocasta’s brother –Creon- to consult the oracle at Delphi to find out why the land was so troubled
A Horrible DiscoveryA Horrible DiscoveryOracle warned the plague would
not end until Thebes had punished the murderer of King Laios
The murderer lived among them in Thebes
Oedipus vowed to save Thebes and find this murderer
Truth revealedTruth revealedBlind prophet, Teiresias, tells that
the man he killed on the road years before was his father
Discovered he was not the son of king and queen of Corinth, but of Laios and Jocasta
He had fulfilled the prophecy of killing his father and marrying his mother
Reaction to the TruthReaction to the TruthJocasta killed herself
Oedipus gouged out his eyes to punish himself for having been blind to the truth
Creon as RulerCreon as RulerCreon took overEventually exiled OedipusAccompanied by his daughter
Antigone, Oedipus wandered the countryside as a beggar
Reaching the sanctuary of Colonus, he died
AntigoneAntigone’’s Returns ReturnReturned where brothers had
agreed to rule in alternate yearsEteocles ruled first, refused to
give it up when the time camePolyneices fled to Argos, raised
an army, returned and attacked Thebes
In the end, Eteocles and Polyneices killed each other.
Creon as rulerCreon as rulerGave Eteocles a hero’s burialDeclared Polyneices’ body left unburied,
to rot in the sun outside the city gatesA terrible punishment according to
GreeksIf burial rites were not performed, the
soul of the dead person would be condemned to eternal unrest.
Antigone and Creon in conflict with this decision
So the story of Antigone begins