Transcript Oedipus Rex - Montgomery County Intermediate Unit

Oedipus Rex & Antigone
Sophocles
The Structure of Greek Drama
Prologos: opening portion, sets the
scene, contains exposition (essential
problem of the play is revealed.
 Parados: entrance song of chorus- 1st
Ode. (Exposition.)
 Episodes: scenes action of drama
performed by actors (Conflict/Rising
Action)

Structure Cont’d
Stasimons: Odes performed by the
chorus- alternate with episodes.
(Climax/Falling Action)
 Exodos: Concluding section of tragedy,
ends with chorus singing final lines as they
exit. (resolution)

Exposition- Oedipus

Location: Prologue, Parados
 People
plead to Oedipus to end the plague.
Oedipus curses the murderer whom he
blames for Thebes’ problems. The people
plead to the gods for mercy.
Conflict
the central conflict that moves the plot
forward.
 Can be the protagonists’ struggle against
fate, nature, society, or another person.
 Location: Scene 1, Ode 1

 Teiresias
identifies Oedipus as the murderer.
Oedipus rejects the accusation. The people
are confused: should they believe Oedipus
(their King) or Teiresias (the prophet)?
Rising Action
The early part of the narrative, which builds
momentum and develops the narrative’s major
conflict.
 Location: Scene 2, Ode 2



Oedipus discovers that Laios was killed where 3 roads
meet and that the servant who witnessed the death
left the house of Laios when Oedipus became king.
The people warn against rejecting oracles.
Location: Scene 3, Ode 3

Oedipus discovers he was adopted by Polybos; that
he was found as an infant on Mt. Kithairon
Climax
The moment of highest tension; the
conflict comes to a head.
 Location: Scene 4

 Oedipus
discovers that he was Laio’s son, left
on the mountain as an infant to die.
Falling Action
The latter part of the narrative, where the
protagonist responds to the events of the
climax and various plot elements
introduced in the rising action are
resolved.
 Location: Ode 4, Exodos

 The
people bemoan Oedipus’ fate, devastated
that one so great could fall so far. Jocasta
hangs herself; Oedipus blinds himself.
Resolution
An ending that satisfactorily answers all
the questions raised over the course of
the plot.
 Location: Exodos

 Oedipus
exiles himself from Thebes after
reflecting on the curse he brings upon his
children. The people caution that no one
should take the comfort of their lives for
granted.
The Greek Theatres
Often located in or around sanctuaries to the god’s.
Parados:
extending
from the
orchestra
to each
side of the
theatron, 2
broad
aisles
where the
chorus
entered
and exited.
Proskenion: small platform errected to
give actors more visibility; separate
them fro chorus & orchestra
Skene:
rectangular
building with
3 doors in
front,
providing
backdrop for
the action of
the polay, as
well as an
arena where
actors
entered and
exited.
Orchestra- circular “dancing Place,” where the chorus performed.
Theatron: “seeing place,” where stone benches were constructed for the
audience to sit.
Important Definitions: Comedy

Greeks and Romans confined the word
"comedy" to descriptions of stage-plays
with happy endings. Aristotle, in the
Poetics, states that comedy originated in
Phallic songs and the light treatment of
the otherwise base and ugly. He also adds
that the origins of comedy are obscure
because it was not treated seriously from
its inception.
Three Types of Comedy:
 Farce:
a humorous play involving characters
in unlikely and ridiculous situations
 Romantic: a popular genre that depicts
burgeoning romance in humorous terms, and
focuses on the foibles of those who are falling
in love.
 Satirical: use ironic comedy to portray
persons or social institutions as ridiculous or
corrupt, thus alienating their audience from
the object of humor
Tragedy

A drama or literary work in which the main character is
brought to ruin or suffers extreme sorrow, especially as
a consequence of a tragic flaw, moral weakness, or
inability to cope with unfavorable circumstances.
 Aristotelian-
a great person who receives a
reversal of fortune.
 Hegelian- G.W.F Hegel, German Philosopher
 Revenge
Critical Terms to Know:
Anagnorisis- revelation or recognition
“knowing again,” “knowing back.”
 Hamartia- “mistake” “error”
 Hubris- “excessive pride”
 Nemesis- “divine retribution”
 Peripateia-reversal of circumstances, or
turning point
 Catharsis- “purification”


"The heroes of ancient classical tragedy encounter
situations in which, if they firmly decide in favor of the
one ethical pathos that alone suits their finished
character, they must necessarily come into conflict with
the equally justified ethical power that confronts them.
Modern characters, on the other hand , stand in a wealth
of more accidental circumstances, within which one
could act this way or that, so that the conflict which is,
though occasioned by external preconditions, still
essentially grounded in the character. The new
individuals, in their passions, obey their own
nature...simply because they are what they are. Greek
heroes also act in accordance with individuality, but in
ancient tragedy such individuality is necessarily... a selfcontained ethical pathos...In modern tragedy, however,
the character in its peculiarity decides in accordance with
subjective desires...such that congruity of character with
outward ethical aim no longer constitutes an essential
basis of tragic beauty..."

“Popular in England from the 1590s to the 1630s,
following the success of Thomas Kyd's sensational play
The Spanish Tragedy (c. 1589). Its action is typically
centered upon a leading character's attempt to avenge
the murder of a loved one, sometimes at the prompting
of the victim's ghost; it involves complex intrigues and
disguises, and usually some exploration of the morality
of revenge. Drawing partly on precedents in Senecan
tragedy, the English revenge tragedy is far more
bloodthirsty in its explicit presentation of premeditated
violence, and so the more gruesome examples such as
Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus are sometimes called
‘tragedies of blood’. Notable examples of plays that are
fully or partly within the revenge tradition are
Christopher Marlowe's The Jew of Malta, and
Shakespeare's Hamlet.”
Elements of Tragedy (Aristotle)

‘Tragedy is an imitation of an
action that is serious,
complete, and of a certain
magnitude; in language
embellished with each kind of
artistic ornament, the several
kinds being found in separate
parts of the play; in the form of
action, not of narrative;
through pity and fear effecting
the proper purgation of these
emotions.”
Aristotle’s Analysis
The writer imitates a serious and complete
action, represented on stage by what
characters say and do.
 “Action” is the motivation/purpose
 The element of “pathos” is essential
 Plot is arranged with carefully selected
and sequenced tragic incidents to
represent one complete action


Plots vary:
 Ethically
motivated v. pathetically motivated
 Complex v. simple
 Complex

has reversal AND recognition.
Plot consists of parts/types of incidents:
 Most
importantly: reversal of situation,
recognition (ignorance to knowledge),
pathos (scene of suffering)






Story seems probable
Plot has 2 parts: complication and unraveling.
The chorus represents the action/prupose of the
play.
Dialogue reveals the action from
characters/thoughts.
Tragic hero is ruler/leader, whose character is
good and whose misfortune is brought on by
some error.
Language is elevated and in verse; persuasive.
Elements of Tragic Hero
A mighty figure
 Suffers reversal of fortune
 Endures uncommon suffering
 Recognizes the consequences of his
actions
 Hero’s plight ennobles audience.

Role of the Chorus

Characteristics
Group of about 15 men
 Sang lyric poetry and danced to musical
accompaniment
 Were unpaid, drawn from the citizenry at large
 Performing in the chorus was regarded as a civic duty
 Were trained and costumed
 Wore the dress of the people they represented and
wore light masks.

Functions of the Greek Chorus
Provided link from audience to actors,
responding to the play in a manner the
playwright hoped the audience would
respond.
 Provided tension release
 Reflected upon what has happened,
pondered what might happen, asked
questions
 At times advised central characters

Greek Chorus Cont’d
Often functioned as the conscience of the
people, establishing an ethical perception
from which to view the action
 Helped to establish mood and to heighten
the dramatic moments throughout
movement and song.
 Added theatricality to performance

Helped establish important pacing of the
play, pointing moments at which the
audience should reflect upon what has
occurred and what must yet transpire
 Could be in the play or outside of it, by
either participating in the action of by
commenting on the action as an observer
 Separated scene of action from another
 Usually through a leader as spokesperson,
could interact with the central characters.

Antigone

a tragedy by Sophocles written before or
in 442 BC. Chronologically, it is the third
of the three Theban plays but was written
first. The play expands on the Theban
legend that predated it and picks up
where Aeschylus' Seven Against Thebes
ends.
ANTIGONE,

in Greek mythology, daughter of Oedipus, king of
Thebes, and Queen Jocasta. Antigone accompanied her
father into exile but returned to Thebes after his death.
In a dispute over the throne her brothers, Eteocles and
Polynices, killed each other. The new king, Creon, gave
Eteocles an honorable burial but ordered that the body
of Polynices, whom he regarded as a traitor, remain
where it had fallen. Antigone, believing divine law must
take precedence over earthly decrees, buried her
brother. Creon condemned her to be buried alive. She
hanged herself in the tomb, and her grief-stricken lover,
Haemon, Creon's son, killed himself. Antigone was the
subject of plays by the ancient Greek playwright
Sophocles and the 20th-century French playwright Jean
Anouilh.
Themes in Antigone:
Family
 Portrayal of the gods
 Citizenship
 Civil disobedience
 Natural law
 State control

Oedipus the King- Classic Dramatic
example of Tragedy
5th century B.C.
 Classic- Greek Society: a listening culture.

 Greeks
conducted their civic affairs in open,
formal debate.
 Public choices were based on the persuasive
effectiveness of orators.
II. Expectations

Ancient Greeks sought balance, order,
symmetry in all things: art, architecture,
literature.
III. Religious Rituals Important
Plays grew out of tradition of ritualistic
celebration of Olympian gods, legendary
heroes, and kings.
 Attendance/participation in drama (and
festivals) considered a civic duty.
 Plays needed to be instructional,
entertaining.

Imagery
Repeated references to sight, sound, or
other reminders of the physical world.
 Underscores, reinforces the action
 Suggests direction of plot itself
 Examples from play…..?????

Mt. Kithairon
Mountain climb to self awareness.
Light v. dark & day v. night
 What
do they signify?
 Cite other examples from literature, what do these
suggest about the universality of certain images?
Sight v. blindness
 Find
10 examples.
 What is ironic about the blind prophet, Teiresias?
 How does Sophocles distinguish between sight and
insight?
 Speculate upon Oedipus’ blinding himself following
the final revelation of truth.
Paradox
A seeming contradiction: what sounds
impossible is, in fact, possible.
 Similar to oxymoron
 Often provide theme: poet shows life is
not what is seems.
 Example from play….?????

Irony
The contrast between what appears to be
and what actually exists.
 Three types:

 Verbal
irony: character says one thing, means
another.
 Situational Irony: what happens is different
from what is expected.
 Dramatic Irony: audience knows, characters
unaware.
Irony can…
Heighten suspense
 Add humor
 Assist in developing depth of character
 Express theme
 Assist in foreshadowing

Examples of Irony
Oedipus’ lack of awareness of involvement
 Messenger saved Oedipus from death
 Teiresias

Archetypes

See Handout #23
Antigone BCR’S
Choose 3 of the following and answer in 5-8 sentences by Monday April 27th. Choose the
three BCR’s you understand the best, as all of these will go in your portfolios. You may work
on these in class or at home, time permitting.
#2 la.e11.10.01
Explain the specific structural elements that identify Antigone as a Greek
play/drama
#21 la.e11.10.06b
Explain the relationship between the character motivations, actions, and
development as it relates to the experiences, emotions, moral dilemmas,
and ambiguities in ANTIGONE.
#22 la.e11.10.06d
Analyze the contribution of the CHORUS to the development of the
character, plot, and/or theme in ANTIGONE.
#25 la.e11.10.06h
Describe how the ARCHETYPE drawn from myth and tradition
contributes to the theme of ANTIGONE.
Ode
Any exalted, complex lyric, written for a
specific purpose, that develops one
dignified theme.
 Appeals to imagination and intellect and
often commemorates an event or praises
a person or an element of nature.

Ode

In structure, an ode is divided into stanzas
that may be identical in form or that may
show patterned variations in form.
Ode
In its original Greek form, an ode was a choral
work; it was associated with movement
 Members of the chorus would sway from one
side to the other to emphasize the rise and fall
of emotion.
