Sophocles and Oedipus Rex

Ancient Greece

Greece in the 4th Century B.CGreece was the

superpower of the known world

The Greeks worshiped many gods: Zeus, Hera, Athena, Apollo, etc.

Greek citizens were required to attend festivals to worship and honor the gods.

Festival of DionysusGod of wine, agriculture,

and theaterDuring this religious

festival there was a theater competition – each competing playwright submitted 3 tragedies and 1 comedy

Winners won a goatThe most successful and

recognized playwright was Sophocles

SophoclesWrestler, musician,

general, politicianVery handsome and

successful Celebrated

playwright120 (ish) plays20 (ish) first prizes

Only 7 plays remain – the most famous: Oedipus Rex

Every show was performed during the dayAudiences could be as many as 14,000Minimal, if any set, usually just a doorOnly male actors, who all wore masks

Theater of the Greeks

Group of around 15 men, speaking with one voice as one character

3 jobs: summarize, pray, speak for the people

The Chorus

Thespis (according to Aristotle, the first actor ever)

No Violence on the Stage

Oedipus Rex Notes…Remember:

This is a story that was not invented by Sophocles

The original audiences would have known the story and how it ended

1. Oedipus leaves his home city of Corinth to go wandering – some prophecy scarred him

2. Comes to a crossroad and kills a small group of people who wouldn’t get out of his way

3. Arrives at the city of Thebes who has recently lost their king

4. Thebes is under siege of the Sphinx and her riddle

5. Oedipus answers riddle, Sphinx dies, Oedipus is made king and marries the previous queen

What Happened Before…

Sphinx’s Riddle…how smart are you?

What walks on four legs in the morning, two in the afternoon, and three in the evening?

Answers? (you die if you get it wrong…)

A man – child, healthy adult, old man with a cane

Another Greek god to Know: Apollo…

Greek god of music, medicine, light, sun, truth, knowledge, and poetry

Had an oracle at Delphi: the most famous oracle of Ancient Greece

What’s an oracle?

ThemesWillingness to ignore the truthLimits of free willHuman pride

SymbolismSight and Light = TruthBlindness and Dark = Ignorance/lies

Motifs Sight vs. Blindness / Light vs. Dark

Oedipus Rex Notes…

Irony – when the opposite of what is expected happensSituational Irony – when a character or reader

expects one thing to happen but something else entirely happens

Verbal Irony – when someone says one thing but means another

Dramatic Irony – the contrast between what a character knows and what the reader or audience knows

Literary Terms for you…