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19/01/11
The Plan for Today• Context: Athenian Theatre– Especially: theatre as suspension of reality
• The Gods: Dionysus vs. Apollo• Delphi and Greek Prophecy• Oedipus the King:– Back story and plot review– Knowledge (human vs. divine)
• Contemporary Parallels: Oedipus and Pericles
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5th c. Athenian Playwrights
• Sophocles (Oedipus the King)• Euripides (Bacchants, Medea, Cyclops*)• Aeschylus (not on the syllabus)• Aristophanes (Lysistrata, Wasps, Clouds)
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The City Dionysia• Peisistratus ca. 534 BC• Acropolis (“the high part of the city”)• Cothurnus (Buskin)• Choregos• Liturgy
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• μηδὲν ἄγαν• mêden agan• Nothing in excess
• γνῶθι σεαυτόν• gnôthi seauton• Know yourself
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Oedipus the KingOedipus Rex (Latin)
Oedipus Tyrannus (Greek)
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• Laius• Jocasta• Polybus• Merope• Sphinx
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• Why is there a plague on the city of Thebes at the beginning of the play? (Bonus: who brings this information to Oedipus?)
• Who is the first person in the play to know that Oedipus has killed his father and married his mother?
• How does Oedipus (the baby) end up in Corinth with Polybus and Merope?
• What exactly is the relationship between Oedipus and Jocasta? Oedipus and Antigone?
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• Prologue
• Parodos:
– the chorus enters• Episodes:
– the named characters of the story advance the plot, the meter of the poetry is close to normal speech
• Stasima (singular = stasimon):– a group of unnamed people react to what’s happening, in
complicated poetic meters with musical accompaniment• Kommos:
– a back and forth dialogue between a character and the chorus• Exodos
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• Prologue:
– there is a plague because the killer of Laius has not been found– there was a single attacker, only one man got away
• 1st Episode: – Teiresias tells Oedipus that he killed his father and married his
mother• 3rd Episode:
– Jocasta’s child was exposed– Laius was slaughtered at the place where three roads meet– right before Oedipus came to Thebes– Laius’ description– only one man attacked
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• 4th Episode:
– a messenger reports Polybus’ death– he reveals that brought Oedipus to Polybus, having received the
baby from a shepherd (the same shepherd who’s already been summoned)
• 5th Episode:– the shepherd confirms that he received the child (Oedipus) from
Jocasta– the baby was the child of Jocasta and Laius
• Exodos:– Jocasta’s hanging– Oedipus’s blinding– Creon will be the new king
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What We Did Today• Context: Athenian Theatre
– Especially: theatre as suspension of reality• The Gods: Dionysus vs. Apollo• Delphi and Greek Prophecy• Oedipus the King:– Back story and plot review– Knowledge (human vs. divine)
• Contemporary Parallels: Oedipus and Pericles
